Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

A personal and powerful essay from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the bestselling author of Americanah and Half of a Yellow Sun, based on her 2013 TEDx Talk of the same name.

We Should All Be Feminists

william wukkuan

The problem with gender is that it prescribes how we should be rather than recognizing how we are. Imagine how much happier we would be, how much freer to be our true individual selves, if we didn’t have the weight of gender expectations.

We internalize ideas from our socialization.

raia – inactive

The language of marriage is often a language of ownership, not a language of partnership.

A Nigerian acquaintance once asked me if I was worried that men would be intimidated by me.

I was not worried at all—it had not even occurred to me to be worried, because a man who will be intimidated by me is exactly the kind of man I would have no interest in.

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. 

And then we do a much greater disservice to girls, because we raise them to cater to the fragile egos of males.

We spend too much time teaching girls to worry about what boys think of them. But the reverse is not the case. We don’t teach boys to care about being likable. We spend too much time telling girls that they cannot be angry or aggressive or tough, which is bad enough, but then we turn around and either praise or excuse men for the same reasons.

Not long ago, I wrote an article about being young and female in Lagos. And an acquaintance told me that it was an angry article, and I should not have made it so angry. But I was unapologetic. Of course it was angry. Gender as it functions today is a grave injustice. I am angry. We should all be angry.

We have evolved. But our ideas of gender have not evolved very much.

Iara Figueira

Not long ago, I wrote an article about being young and female in Lagos. And an acquaintance told me that it was an angry article, and I should not have made it so angry. But I was unapologetic. Of course it was angry. Gender as it functions today is a grave injustice. I am angry. We should all be angry. Anger has a long history of bringing about positive change. In addition to anger, I am also hopeful, because I believe deeply in the ability of human beings to remake themselves for the better.

I often make the mistake of thinking that something that is obvious to me is just as obvious to everyone else. Take my dear friend Louis, who is a brilliant, progressiveman. We would have conversations and he would tell me: “I don’t see what you mean by things being different and harder for women. Maybe it was so in the past but not now. Everything is fine now for women.” I didn’t understand how Louis could not seewhat seemed so evident.

But I was female and he was male and he became class monitor.

If we do something over and over, it becomes normal. If we see the same thing over and over, it becomes normal. If only boys are made class monitor, then at some point we will all think, even if unconsciously, that the class monitor has to be a boy. If we keep seeing only men as heads of corporations, it starts to seem “natural” that only men should be heads of corporations.

taylor miles hopkins

What is the point of culture? Culture functions ultimately to ensure the preservation and continuity of a people…Culture does not make people. People make culture.

Is it because women are born with a cooking gene or because over the years they have been socialized to see cooking as their role? I was going to say that perhaps Women are born with a cooking gene until I remembered that the majority of famous cooks in the world—who are given the fancy title of chef—are men. 1

The problem with gender is that it prescribes how we should be rather than recognizing how we are. Imagine how much happier we would be, how much freer to be our true individual selves, if we didn't have the weight of gender expectations.

If we do something over and over again, it becomes normal. If we see the same thing over and over again, it becomes normal.

anna ˖*°࿐

Makes some good points about the oppression women have faced and still face today. However, being a feminist isn’t going to break the stereotypes. It’s not the grand solution. In the end we need Jesus

Jacey Manning

Andrea Morales

una buenísima introducción al feminismo; sadly I had already watched her tedtalk so this didn’t really give me any new information. still great tho!

Sanjay Krishna 

"The problem with gender is that it prescribes how we should be rather than recognizing how we are. Imagine how much happier we would be, how much freer to be our true Individual selves, if we didn't have the weight of gender expectations."

buny

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. It would be a way of pretending that it was not women who have, for centuries, been excluded. It would be a way of denying that the problem of gender targets women. That the problem was not about being human, but specifically about being a female human. For centuries, the world divided human beings into two groups and then proceeded to exclude and oppress one group. It is only fair that the solution to the problem should acknowledge that.  

Feminism #101 for ppl who continue to be uncomfortable abt feminism and skirting around it bc they find the awareness, the "shift" in us scary and disapproving :)

Vicky  Nuñez 

An intelligent and well written essay over the importance of feminism. 
I wonder why I have I never read it before and I strongly encourage everyone to read it. It will literally take half an hour and leave your mind blown. Not because this is a new subject, but because it puts a name and openly talks about something women never speak up about, but we all think about.
It is an important subject and men and women alike need to read it.

Isabella 

short, but impactful. nothing revolutionary or new to bring to the able; it's a very basic introduction to feminism which isn't a bad thing. i really liked reading this tho. it's something i would enjoy rereading again.

liana

“The person more qualified to lead is not the physically stronger person. It is the more intelligent, the more knowledgeable, the more creative, more innovative. And there are no hormones for those atributes. A man is as likely as a woman to be intelligent, innovative, creative. We have evolved. But our ideas of gender have not evolved very much”. 
“FEMINIST: a person who believes in the social, political, and economic equality of sexes”
This TED talk turned into a short book is fantastic. Everyone should read this at some point to realize the importance of feminism. 
I already knew a little about this speech thanks to Beyoncé’s song “Flawless” which features some of the words said by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and reading all of it just makes it even better. The author makes it really clear that you shouldn’t be diminished no matter your gender, your color or where you come from. 10 out of 10.

Leon

Christine Frisbie

On the back cover it says that Adichie is smart about so many things, and frankly, after finishing this speech turned book, I completely agree. A lot of the points she made are honestly just things that make sense, but as she so elegantly pointed out, a lot of the time we don't recognize them. That's why I think this book is so important and has been making the waves that it has. It looks society directly in the face, tells it something is wrong, and holds it accountable to fix it. Society and culture don't just change themselves, they are helped along by the efforts of many people, and I'm incredibly glad I finally managed to pick this book up.

In this personal, eloquently-argued essay—adapted from her much-admired TEDx talk of the same name—Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, award-winning author of Americanah, offers readers a unique definition of feminism for the twenty-first century, one rooted in inclusion and awareness. 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.

chloe rae

This was INCREDIBLE. I already want to go back and read it again. And I want everyone else to read it, too! In this short, impactful essay, Chimamanda made me feel both completely understood and validated. I remember a time when I was afraid to say "I am a feminist" and even now, many people still feel the same way. This essay does exactly what it needs to, in such an easy to understand way. Truly wonderful! Read it!

Deepika Ramesh

This was my fifth book for #24in48readathon. I loved it.

shru

this must be read, must be heard.

i usually don't rate books (edit: essay, not book) that are this short, but this was wonderful. i'm 15, still confused about what exactly feminism is, considering that, sadly, it's not a full fledged subject at school and this was a great explanation of what feminism is, and why it's everyone's problem. not just mine because i'm a woman, but everyone around me. i wish this was longer, because it was wonderful. maybe one day, when i'm more confident i can proudly call myself a feminist. for now, i hope i'm a feminist.

Syahla Aurel

Even though Chimamanda focus on this book is the gender inequality in Nigeria, as women who grew up in Indonesia i can relate to most of the content of this book. My favorite quote from the book is this: "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." If Chimamanda said "We Should All be Feminist" then I will say "We Should All Read This Book"

Offers an updated definition of feminism for the twenty-first century, one rooted in inclusion and awareness.

We Should All be Feminists

a beginner book on feminism to gift your male friends this christmas

Chanh

A must-read introduction to the subject of feminism and what it means to be feminist. 

The book consists of the personal experiences of the author as well as her friends and family, and observations about how they all are influenced by gendered expectations. While an essay might sound like a drag, she delivered the stories in a conversational and snappy tone, driving the message home in a very captivating way. 

I watched the TED talk version of the book a few years ago, and it was deeply influential to me as a person and as a budding feminist. It’s something that I occasionally find myself coming back to.

atlantisli

Kısa ve güzel bir kitaptı, zaten Ted konuşmasından oluşmuş bir eserdi. Günlük hayatta sorulan sorulara güzel cevaplar verildiğini düşünüyorum (örneğin: neden insan hakları değil de illa kadın hakları diyoruz). Kolayca okunan bir kitap o yüzden herkesin bahane göstermeden okumasını isterdim :')

jess

In a book slump period so I thought I’d listen to this audiobook and what do I know? It was such a wonderful listen and I felt so empowered. 
“I should never call myself a feminist since feminists are women who are unhappy because they can’t find husbands.
So I decided to call myself a Happy Feminist.”
Indeed feminists have been disregarded mostly in third-world countries, where women’s voices don’t matter, and the issue presented in the book are still universal in the sense, people across the world can relate to them. The two aspects of the book that I focused on are: the stereotypical idea of feminism and the word feminist; and the process of normalisation. 
The author encourages us to dream of a world that is just and that has men and women who are happier because they are true to themselves, and she insists that for this to happen, the narrative should shift from raising the daughters differently to raising both the sons and daughters differently.
The easy and smooth language employed to narrate the author’s personal experiences makes it one of the fundamental reads for understanding feminism, and also an enjoyable audiobook while doing chores-that-are-always-tasked-for-women-not-men as it immensely fuels my passion, even with the ongoing discourse, misconceptions, and stereotypes about feminism and feminists.
Grabbing a copy of this book will be a good start.

this was a lightning-fast read and incredibly insightful for your consideration. my first non-fiction book about feminism, and i loved it! so delightful that I took the time to pick this up. what the author said about complex topics in a direct and trapping way but can help every feminist out there set forth their purpose confidently. this book tells us that a feminist is a person who supports feminism (the belief that all genders should have equal rights and opportunities). ur gender doesn’t affect your ability to be a feminist. so we all should be feminists. 

i love this. "The problem with gender is that it prescribes how we should be rather than recognizing how we are. Imagine how much happier we would be, how much freer to be our true individual selves, if we didn’t have the weight of gender expectations." 

a society that says that being a woman automatically means you're weak and that you can not say what you think because you're a woman. like Adichie said :
"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 can not say they have desire. Who silence themselves. Who can not say what they truly think. Who has turned pretense into an art form." 

don't think things like this don't happen in the modern world; there are still a lot of women who have to fight for their rights every day, to prove themselves worthy and to prove that even though they're not male, they can still do what a male would do.
so yeah, please make everyone a feminist.

Cigdem O

Lara Engle

A speedy little read. I recommend listening to her TED talk about the danger of a single story before you read this. Having her voice and her storytelling style in your head makes this even more enjoyable. She has a natural flow and beauty in her storytelling that I love. 

The title clearly states the argument here. There are some nice lines about the importance of seeing a person for the totality of who they are and for their experiences as that intersectional being. Yes, we're all humans, but we're not only humans. And we should all be feminists.

Patricia Nelson

Loved this! This woman does a wonderful job of articulating an issue that resonates under the surface of our society. I found myself noting many of her points and plan to view the Tedx talk this book is based on.

Freso

I was recommended this book by Dr. Bettina Aptheker in her Feminism and Social Justice Coursera course, and was excited to read some feminist literature from Nigeria. Luckily I was able to borrow an audiobook from my library digitally so I could get to it straight away, and... It's fine.

I really appreciate the unique Nigerian anecdotes and I think this is probably a great primer for someone who has no prior knowledge of any feminist theory, but for someone who has just basic understanding of feminist theory, there's not much to get here. She doesn't address LGBTQIA+ issues at all, au contraire she presents a good deal of heterosexism/heteronormativity and even a bit of gender essentialism (or maybe rather sex essentialism?), despite her fantastic quote basically promoting gender abolition: "The problem with gender is that it prescribes how we should be rather than recognising how we are. Imagine how much happier we would be - how much freer to be our true individual selves - if we didn't have the weight of gender expectations." She also only just mentions class and race in passing, so it seems like she does recognise intersectionality, but she doesn't put any emphasis on it, which I find lacking.

I liked listening to this essay though. I think it was even the author who read it and I really enjoyed the Nigerian accent. I was afraid it was going to be some British or USian accented reader reading it, so happy to be disappointed on that front. :)

Kehinde Adeleke

As a man, this brought to the fore something I had forgotten about. I’d admit I was like her friend Louis who thought “surely things had improved today” but that’s essentially what the patriarchal system wants men to think.

I have decided to join the cause and once again take up the badge of feminism. Make it’s precepts known and inspire change in society.

Like Chimamanda aptly puts it, I have admitted that “yes, there’s a problem with gender as it is today and we must fix it, we must do better. All of us, women and men, must do better”

We Should All Be Feminists

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