Review: WE SHOULD ALL BE FEMINISTS by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Rating: 5/5 stars

I do not agree with everything that Adichie said about feminism, but I do agree with a great deal of it.

I consider myself a feminist, but not in the traditional sense. I believe that women should be respected. I support fairness in women's rights, but fair rights for women do not always mean equal rights for women, and I am okay with that. It would be equality for women to be drafted into the military just like men are, but that is not fair because women are not built like men and are inherently different from men. But it is fair that women have the opportunity to serve alongside men in the military if they so desire. That example shows where my feminist beliefs lie, in fairness but not in equal rights. I also think it is important to note that feminism is not about women becoming superior to men but equal to men as far as their worth as human beings is concerned.

Feminism has a very loose definition these days. The fact is that there are some things that only men are built to do, and there are some things that only women are built to do; we are different. But it is okay for us to be different. However, our differences do not give each other the right to disrespect any other person simply for being a certain gender (or a certain race, ethnicity, religion, etc.).

Adichie's words are so important, and I think everybody should read this book (or watch the TedTalk) and really think about what she has to say. I know I will be revisiting the words of this book/talk many times in my future.

One sentence that really stood out to me was this: "I knew that as a female I would automatically have to prove my worth." It is so important to recognize the flaws in this sentence. Women should not have to prove their worth; women and men are both humans and should both be treated as humans. It is disgusting how true her statement is for many women in many situations. Women want and deserve to feel valued and respected just as men already are.

Chimamanda Adichie is wonderful and I have quickly come to love her. I watched her two TedTalks today and read this one separately as well (and was surprised at how differently I connected with the talk compared to the book), and now I want to read all her books even more than I already did.