When Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was a girl and arguing with a male friend of hers, he called her a feminist in a derisive tone. She had never heard the word before but assumed it must be something bad. However, unlike many people who deny their connection with feminism because of ignorance and social pressure, Adichie went home and looked it up. Feminist: a person who believes in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes. Really, not a bad thing after all. I became […]
“We are all social beings.”
As my birthday looms heavily, I find myself anxious in a way I have never been before, mainly because I’m becoming affected by societal pressures to define myself in two main ways: Wife. Mother. Entering the last year of my mid-thirties, I am neither yet a wife nor a mother, and I now feel like I am running out of time–even though I had not given myself a deadline or ever really desired to define myself by those two roles. While it is easy to say, […]
F**k the Patriarchy
This tiny little book contains more within its 50 pages that many longer tomes. It is simple and to the point. The title is not just a refrain; it’s an obvious statement of fact. Women should be feminists. Men should be feminists. We should all want the social, political and economic equality of the sexes. This booklet is based off of a TEDx talk Ms. Adichie gave in 2012. You may have heard her previous talk about stories; if you haven’t, check it out online. […]
Ms. Adichi Has a Dream
Gender matters everywhere in the world. And I would like today to ask that we begin to dream about and plan for a different world. A fairer world. A world of happier men and women who are truer to themselves. I am a mostly passive feminist. I am definitely a feminist. I believe women have the right to equal rights and equal opportunities. I believe people should be able to be the people they are and not have to fit within prescribed cultural gender roles. […]