The blog entries throughout the novel convey the unconscious thoughts of Ifemelu, and allow her to reveal her true feelings on certain issues. More often than not, Ifemelu’s blog contains somewhat controversial opinions on racial matters that draw mixed reviews from her viewers. Ifemelu finds herself either lauded or bereated for her deep perspective on race and the significance that it wields within the American society. At times throughout Americanah, Ifemelu is forced to be constrained within the bonds of a specific role. This is especially the case during her time in America, and this notion is heavily reflected in her blog that revolves around the concept of “American Tribalism.” In this blog post, Ifemelu is quick to point out that “there’s a ladder of racial hierarchy in America” and that “American Black is always on the bottom” (227). Through this entry, Adichie is able to claim a frank, yet fairly true assertion: that racial inequality is still highly prevalent in American culture. Rather than saying that outright, Adichie depicts America’s tribal hierarchy through Ifemelu’s early struggles in America and her subsequent blog post on the matter.
Another example that fortifies Ifemelu’s claims pertaining to racial inequality in America revolves around the idea of hair serving as a metaphor for race. In this blog, Ifemelu’s assertion that Obama would receive less votes simply if his wife, Michelle, let her hair go “natural” for television and public appearances (368). By having straighter, or “damaged” hair, black women are able to take on a more “professional” (367) look. Although this claim may seem to be embellishing the role that race plays in America, Ifemelu is quick to note that even television ads often portray a black woman’s traditional hair as “ugly” while a straightened version of the same hair is considered “pretty” (367). This blog entry on hairstyles serves as another crucial outlet for Ifemelu, as she even modified her hair in anticipation for a job interview (250-251). Once again, the blog entry serves to simultaneously explain and broaden the racial issues that plague America.
What makes Ifemelu and her blog posts truly stand out is their ability to touch on sensitive matters in an extremely blunt way. As the posts are based solely off of the experiences of Ifemelu, one can argue that America is not racist and Ifemelu is merely a disgruntled immigrant who struggled in America due to her attitude or perhaps another attribute. While that claim may sound reasonable, race has always been integral to the American social hierarchy, and it will continue to be for the near future. Ifemelu’s struggles symbolize those of countless blacks in America, and her experiences demonstrate the stigma that comes along with being black in America, even in modern times.
I am glad that you decided to write about Ifemelu’s blog posts because these posts are, without a doubt, my favorite part of the novel. There is something about Ifemelu’s, as you put it, “ability to touch on sensitive matters in an extremely blunt way”, that really speaks to me. I think that these posts are some of the few times that we can read Ifemelu’s opinions unfiltered. For the most part Ifemelu does not make potentially offensive observations about race and American black vs. Non-American black relations in person because she knows how touchy these subjects can be. There is once, at the dinner party after Obama's nomination, Ifemelu “had been drinking too much white wine” and she unleashed a monologue on interracial couples. However, those moments are rare and this speech could be explained by Ifemelu's drunkenness. I think Adichie includes these blogs as a way for the readers to get a full grasp of how Ifemelu views a variety of topics pertaining to race and how she presents these ideas to the public. It serves as a way of showing Ifemelu's desire to acknowledge racial topics but her knowledge of how hard that is to do in person. Instead, with the assistance of an anonymous blog on the internet, she can talk about whatever she wants whenever she wants.
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