We Should All Be Feminists
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The highly acclaimed, provocative essay on feminism and sexual politics—from the award-winning author of Americanah
"A call to action, for all people in the world, to undo the gender hierarchy." —Medium
In this personal, eloquently-argued essay—adapted from the much-admired TEDx talk of the same name—Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie offers readers a unique definition of feminism for the twenty-first century. Drawing extensively on her own experiences and her deep understanding of the often masked realities of sexual politics, here is one remarkable author’s exploration of what it means to be a woman now—and an of-the-moment rallying cry for why we should all be feminists.
"A call to action, for all people in the world, to undo the gender hierarchy." —Medium
In this personal, eloquently-argued essay—adapted from the much-admired TEDx talk of the same name—Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie offers readers a unique definition of feminism for the twenty-first century. Drawing extensively on her own experiences and her deep understanding of the often masked realities of sexual politics, here is one remarkable author’s exploration of what it means to be a woman now—and an of-the-moment rallying cry for why we should all be feminists.
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Community Reviews
Short essay about raising our children to accept everyone as they are, not making them fit into a societal norm just because they are a specific gender
It was amazing to listen to Chimamanda read her essay on what feminism is. I'm not joking when I say everyone should listen to this. Such great insight into what happens to women every day and how we frequently restrict ourselves to be more feminine, less aggressive, and less intimidating. I shouldn't have to do those things to be considered a woman. I can be girly, feminine, intimidating, and so much more. And that is ok and acceptable and me.
Essay is a nice reflection on the personal perspectives of the author on feminism and has a decent call to action regarding the micro-actions that can make women feel inferior (especially in work environments and raising children). Sheâs very clear at developing these points and I kind of wish it was a little longer to further explain things in depth with more nuance, which is rare for me as usually I think things can/should be shorter than they are.
A modified version of a TED talk, this essay provides a few instances of beautiful insight while clearly and concisely articulating a truth that many of us feminists have known for a long time: We should all be feminists.
I'm not new to feminism, so many of these ideas were ideas which I merely had to nod my head at and say "Amen, sister," in that agreeing way, the way Americans say "I know" when really what they mean is "I understand how you feel". That doesn't mean this book isn't worth reading or it didn't provide points of interest and introspection.
A few points that struck me:
"I often wear clothes that men don't like or don't 'understand'. I wear them because I like them and I feel good in them. The 'male gaze,' as a shaper of my life's choice, is largely incidental."
Yes, yes, YES. I had a run-in with an older, male colleague last year over the choice of my clothes. In a clothing swap, I had snapped up a pair of delicately pale pink pants, with a subtle silver stripe to them. I loved them. They felt classy and feminine all at the same time. My male colleague, every time I wore them, would tease me or mention the fact that because they were so pale it looked like I wasn't wearing pants at all. Did he need to mention this? No. Did it upset me? Yes! I love those damn pants! I don't care what you think, I like those pants! I have to also stop myself from policing the clothes of others. I worry. As a teacher, it's the girls whose clothes I police in my head. That skirt is too short, that Harley Quinn t-shirt isn't promoting a healthy relationship ideal, you know, the usual. And I try really hard to not let those thoughts come out, because what the hell do I actually care? I'm not their boss. I might be their teacher but I'm not their parent. Are they actually exposing things that are sexualized (boobs, butts, genetalia)? No. But I still police in my head.
"Some people ask, 'Why the word feminist? Why not just say you are a believer in human rights, or something like that?' Because that would be dishonest. Feminism is, of course, part of human rights in general -- but to choose to use the vague expression human rights is to deny the specific and particular problem of gender."
-We need to change the way we raise our sons.
-Many men don't see gender and that's part of the problem. They don't see the problem.
THIS IS WHY IDENTITY POLITICS IS IMPORTANT. BECAUSE TO PURPOSELY GENERALIZE THE PROBLEM IS TO ERASE THE PROBLEM.
Ugh.
I am so, so tired of people railing against identity politics. IT'S WHO I GODDAMN AM. I will not repress who I am because talking about the problem I face as a result of who I am make you uncomfortable. No, I cannot reduce the experience of my male coworker telling me, when I had a bad day, "that I was in rare form and I should keep it rare" to a problem of the human species because it was not. It was an experience informed by the fact that I am a woman and he is a man and whether he is aware of it or not it is his prerogative to remind me that my duty as a woman is to be perky and joyful and happy ALL THE DAMN TIME. No, it's not, bucko. My job is to be a complex, multi-faceted human being who has flaws and is beautiful, just like yours is. But my experience compared to yours is influenced and informed by my gender, and ignoring my gender is to belittle the problems I face as a result of it.
The same way "color-blindness" hasn't worked, y'all. "Color-blindness" just erases a crucial component of a person that STILL HAS AN EFFECT ON THEIR LIVES, Y'ALL. You think that just because you "don't see color" that suddenly fewer than 1 in 3 black men goes to prison? You think that you "not seeing color" is going to impact how television portrays black men? Because it's not. If we refuse to recognize that there's a problem, how can we hope to fix it? And a lot of people accuse us of reopening old wounds. Old for whom? Just because you've blithely forgotten about slavery or that time when women couldn't vote doesn't mean the rest of us does. It literally GALLS ME that women have had the right to vote for less than 100 years and THAT'S JUST WHITE WOMEN. I can't even begin to express the unspeakable rage that wells up within me when women of color are ALWAYS, ALWAYS given the short end of the stick. Oftentimes from white women purportedly touting feminism. FEMINISM HAS TO BE INTERSECTIONAL or it's not feminism. We as white women can't ignore the fact that our sisters of color get treated way, way worse. Immorally, inhumanely worse. Brown lives matter. Black lives matter. And it matter that they're black and brown because their blackness and their brownness informs how they are treated by systemically unjust systems (as well as asshole individuals and unconscious [or conscious] racists).
Now I'm all riled.
Good.
I'm tired of playing nice and I'm tired of speaking softly and I'm tired of keeping my knees together and my ankles crossed. It's fucking hard to keep your ankles crossed all the time. It takes a strength of the inner thighs that I just do not currently possess. And I'd rather build up my quads and gluts than my inner thighs. I'd rather build other women up than tear other women down. I'd rather comfort a little boy who's crying than tell him he should stop crying. I'd rather try my best to let other human beings be complete human beings.
In other news, you should read this book. It literally took me no time. DO IT.
I'm not new to feminism, so many of these ideas were ideas which I merely had to nod my head at and say "Amen, sister," in that agreeing way, the way Americans say "I know" when really what they mean is "I understand how you feel". That doesn't mean this book isn't worth reading or it didn't provide points of interest and introspection.
A few points that struck me:
"I often wear clothes that men don't like or don't 'understand'. I wear them because I like them and I feel good in them. The 'male gaze,' as a shaper of my life's choice, is largely incidental."
Yes, yes, YES. I had a run-in with an older, male colleague last year over the choice of my clothes. In a clothing swap, I had snapped up a pair of delicately pale pink pants, with a subtle silver stripe to them. I loved them. They felt classy and feminine all at the same time. My male colleague, every time I wore them, would tease me or mention the fact that because they were so pale it looked like I wasn't wearing pants at all. Did he need to mention this? No. Did it upset me? Yes! I love those damn pants! I don't care what you think, I like those pants! I have to also stop myself from policing the clothes of others. I worry. As a teacher, it's the girls whose clothes I police in my head. That skirt is too short, that Harley Quinn t-shirt isn't promoting a healthy relationship ideal, you know, the usual. And I try really hard to not let those thoughts come out, because what the hell do I actually care? I'm not their boss. I might be their teacher but I'm not their parent. Are they actually exposing things that are sexualized (boobs, butts, genetalia)? No. But I still police in my head.
"Some people ask, 'Why the word feminist? Why not just say you are a believer in human rights, or something like that?' Because that would be dishonest. Feminism is, of course, part of human rights in general -- but to choose to use the vague expression human rights is to deny the specific and particular problem of gender."
-We need to change the way we raise our sons.
-Many men don't see gender and that's part of the problem. They don't see the problem.
THIS IS WHY IDENTITY POLITICS IS IMPORTANT. BECAUSE TO PURPOSELY GENERALIZE THE PROBLEM IS TO ERASE THE PROBLEM.
Ugh.
I am so, so tired of people railing against identity politics. IT'S WHO I GODDAMN AM. I will not repress who I am because talking about the problem I face as a result of who I am make you uncomfortable. No, I cannot reduce the experience of my male coworker telling me, when I had a bad day, "that I was in rare form and I should keep it rare" to a problem of the human species because it was not. It was an experience informed by the fact that I am a woman and he is a man and whether he is aware of it or not it is his prerogative to remind me that my duty as a woman is to be perky and joyful and happy ALL THE DAMN TIME. No, it's not, bucko. My job is to be a complex, multi-faceted human being who has flaws and is beautiful, just like yours is. But my experience compared to yours is influenced and informed by my gender, and ignoring my gender is to belittle the problems I face as a result of it.
The same way "color-blindness" hasn't worked, y'all. "Color-blindness" just erases a crucial component of a person that STILL HAS AN EFFECT ON THEIR LIVES, Y'ALL. You think that just because you "don't see color" that suddenly fewer than 1 in 3 black men goes to prison? You think that you "not seeing color" is going to impact how television portrays black men? Because it's not. If we refuse to recognize that there's a problem, how can we hope to fix it? And a lot of people accuse us of reopening old wounds. Old for whom? Just because you've blithely forgotten about slavery or that time when women couldn't vote doesn't mean the rest of us does. It literally GALLS ME that women have had the right to vote for less than 100 years and THAT'S JUST WHITE WOMEN. I can't even begin to express the unspeakable rage that wells up within me when women of color are ALWAYS, ALWAYS given the short end of the stick. Oftentimes from white women purportedly touting feminism. FEMINISM HAS TO BE INTERSECTIONAL or it's not feminism. We as white women can't ignore the fact that our sisters of color get treated way, way worse. Immorally, inhumanely worse. Brown lives matter. Black lives matter. And it matter that they're black and brown because their blackness and their brownness informs how they are treated by systemically unjust systems (as well as asshole individuals and unconscious [or conscious] racists).
Now I'm all riled.
Good.
I'm tired of playing nice and I'm tired of speaking softly and I'm tired of keeping my knees together and my ankles crossed. It's fucking hard to keep your ankles crossed all the time. It takes a strength of the inner thighs that I just do not currently possess. And I'd rather build up my quads and gluts than my inner thighs. I'd rather build other women up than tear other women down. I'd rather comfort a little boy who's crying than tell him he should stop crying. I'd rather try my best to let other human beings be complete human beings.
In other news, you should read this book. It literally took me no time. DO IT.
You know how you can usually tell when a movie began life as a play? Turns out the same thing applies when a book began life as a TED Talk. This was interesting enough, but after all the hype, I had hoped for a lot more compelling or novel insight. (Which is precisely the reaction I have to most TED Talks.) These are important ideas, but ones that I had thought more deeply about in relation to other books, etc. So it might have a place as an introduction to modern feminism, I guess? But if you've read or thought about gender equality very much, this isn't likely to challenge you to see anything in a new or more illuminating way.
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