Title: We Should All Be Feminists
Author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Genre: Nonfiction; Feminism; Essays
Goodreads Rating: 4.48/ 5 stars
Pages: 52 ( Paperback )
Publisher: Anchor Books
Published: February 3, 2015 ( Original publication: 2014 )
Summary: What does “feminism” mean today? That is the question at the heart of We Should All Be Feminists, a personal, eloquently-argued essay—adapted from her much-viewed TEDx talk of the same name—by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the award-winning author of Americanah and Half of a Yellow Sun.
With humor and levity, here Adichie offers readers a unique definition of feminism for the twenty-first century—one rooted in inclusion and awareness. She shines a light not only on blatant discrimination, but also the more insidious, institutional behaviors that marginalize women around the world, in order to help readers of all walks of life better understand the often masked realities of sexual politics. Throughout, she draws extensively on her own experiences—in the U.S., in her native Nigeria, and abroad—offering an artfully nuanced explanation of why the gender divide is harmful for women and men, alike.
Argued in the same observant, witty and clever prose that has made Adichie a bestselling novelist, here is one remarkable author’s exploration of what it means to be a woman today—and an of-the-moment rallying cry for why we should all be feminists.
"I often make the mistake of thinking that something that is obvious to me is just as obvious to everyone else."
Feminism is a topic/movement that seems to be highlighted in the news just about daily, now. Considering the current political climate that shouldn't come as a surprise. However, while much of what feminism advocates for is crucial to creating a foundation for equality for all, there are also just as many feminists who have strayed from the core of the movement and are morphing feminism into something it is not. Feminism shouldn't be stuffed down anyone's throat and feminism shouldn't be regarded as a set of guidelines that life needs to adhere to. Feminism should be regarded as liberating and unifying. In Adichie's writing I found a connection back to feminism's roots and its Classical era.
"Each time they ignore me, I feel invisible. I feel upset. I want to tell them that I am just as human as the man, just as worthy of acknowledgment. These are little things but sometimes it is the little things that sting the most."
Until I embarked on the journey of my college education, it had never really occurred to me how daunting an office work place could potentially be for a young woman, let alone a young woman of color. The more I think about the unnecessary trials and pushback women receive, simply because of an erroneous mentality, constructed and imposed by society, of women being the inferior sex, the more frustrated and angry I become. These moments of uncertainty of the future make me even more appreciative of the women who came before me and all that they sacrificed in the pursuit of equality. It's unsettling to imagine a time when women were expected to be as beautiful as a wallflower and just as quiet as a wallflower. In this essay, Adichie perfectly articulated the issue that is most often swept under the rug: the silencing of an individual's voice: their dreams; their passions; their desires; their thoughts and opinions, simply because their anatomy is female.
"We do a great disservice to boys in how we raise them. We stifle the humanity of boys. We define masculinity in a very narrow way. Masculinity is a hard, small cage, and we put boys inside this cage."
"But by far the worst thing we do to males - by making them feel they have to be hard - is that we leave them with very fragile egos. The harder a man feels compelled to be, the weaker his ego is. And then we do a much greater disservice to girls, because we raise them to cater to the fragile egos of males. We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller."
Adichie made a point to be inclusive of the gender role struggles that also affect men, not to quell any of the malicious mutterings that are made to portray feminism as "man shaming" or "man hating"; but to bring to light the fact that men and women are not enemies. Men and women are both victims of the oppressing gender role/expectations that cultures and societies have created. While the oppressions that men and women face differ, sometimes greatly, in the face of adversity we can see how similar we truly are, in regards to being human and deserving to be treated as such.
"We say to girls, 'You can have ambition, but not too much. You should aim to be successful but not too successful, otherwise you will threaten the man."
"We police girls. We praise girls for virginity but we don't praise boys for virginity (and it makes me wonder how exactly this is supposed to work out, since the loss of virginity is a process that usually involves two people of opposite genders)."
"We teach girls shame. Close your legs. Cover yourself. We make them feel as though by being born female, they are already guilty of something. And so girls grow up to be women who cannot say they have desire. Who silence themselves. Who cannot say what they truly think. Who have turned pretence into an art form."
We now have the tools and the ambition to make a lasting change; to leave this world a better place for ourselves and for the upcoming generation. There is no reason that men should feel as though they can't be affectionate with their children, because they're expected to be the provider not the comforter. There is no reason that women should feel undesirable because they don't like to cook or because they want to be ambitious and successful, rather than forgettable and shy. Self-confidence isn't meant to be monopolized by one gender: it is something that everyone should aspire to obtain. No one should have to snuff out their own fire because of their gender.
While short, Adichie's essay is unforgettable, motivating, and necessary. Whether you are a man or a woman, you will benefit from spending some time with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
"I have chosen to no longer be apologetic for my femininity. And I want to be respected in all my femaleness. Because I deserve to be."
"Culture does not make people. People make culture. If it is true that the full humanity of women is not our culture, then we can and must make it our culture."
This essay was inspired by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's TEDx Talk: We Should All Be Feminists. I highly recommend reading the essay and watching her TEDx Talk. Adichie is incredibly well-spoken and brimming with passion; it's uplifting and motivating to hear her speak and to see her voice life and strength into her cause. I will leave a link for the TEDx Talk below.
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