From the Bookshelf of Diversity in All Forms!…

We Should All Be Feminists

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Start date: March 1, 2017

Finish date: March 31, 2017

Discussion: Monthly Bonus Reads

Why we're reading this: March Bonus Read for Women's History Month.…more
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What Members Thought

Jul 13, 2017 Puck rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: people-of-colour, nonfiction, important

A short but deep essay on Feminism and what is means to be a woman in this day and age, the challenges they face, and how both men and women should try to overcome them. With exactly the right words Chimamanda points out the flaws in today's society when it comes to culture, identity, and masculinity, and she does this so well that you cannot be angered by these true facts.

“The sad truth of the matter is that when it comes to appearance, we start off with men as the standard, as the norm. Many o A short but deep essay on Feminism and what is means to be a woman in this day and age, the challenges they face, and how both men and women should try to overcome them. With exactly the right words Chimamanda points out the flaws in today's society when it comes to culture, identity, and masculinity, and she does this so well that you cannot be angered by these true facts.

“The sad truth of the matter is that when it comes to appearance, we start off with men as the standard, as the norm. Many of us think that the less feminine a woman appears, the more likely she is to be taken seriously. A man going to a business meeting doesn’t wonder about being taken seriously based on what he is wearing—but a woman does.”

Apart from pointing out society's flaws, the author spends a lot of time showing the differences between how boys and girls are raised, and how certain (sexist) expectations get ingrained into us since birth. This goes further than assigning blue and pink colors; it’s about how cooking and taking care of children are seen as ‘girl's skills’, about why a male boss is admired for his strict leadership while a female boss gets called out on hers, and about how women are raised with one goal in mind – to marry and have children – but we don’t set these goals for boys.
This unequal balance doesn’t only damage girls, but boys too, and the sooner we try to fix or change these gender-expectations, the better things will get for society and us humans.

“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. There are so many magazine articles written telling women how to please men, but so few guides for men about pleasing women.”

This whole essay is filled with quotes that I want to highlight, but instead I’ll give you the advice to go out and read this essay yourself. It’s a perfect introduction for anyone interested in feminism and gender studies, so men and women: wait no longer, and read this little power gem.

Ps. If you prefer to listen or want to hear the full version of the author's speech, here is Chimamanda's TEDx Talk. ...more

21 likes · Like · see review

Mar 07, 2020 Megan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is an inspiring treatise on the importance of feminism.

2 likes · Like · see review

Apr 11, 2017 Toni FGMAMTC rated it liked it

Shelves: nonfiction, feminism, human-rights

3.5 stars

This is definitely worth reading. It draws attention to certain things. The author is from Africa and a lot of what it is about is there. Reading it and letting it soak in as a good way to make a conscious effort going forward. I think this is at least as much for a man to read as a woman. Some of it is about little things a man can do and acknowledge.

1 like · Like · see review