Should We All Be Feminist?

Roxane Gay, author of the article entitled “Bad Feminist”, is a very accomplished American feminist writer. Her publication of “Bad Feminist” in 2012 gained national public attention (1). Feminism, as defined in the dictionary, is “the advocacy of women's rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes” (2), but Gay explains throughout her article that being a feminist is not just as simple as agreeing with this need for gender equality. The feminist label is too narrow and because of this the feminist movement is breaking apart. In this piece, Gay addresses how our society currently defines feminism and explains why this definition does not encompass everybody that it should.

When thinking about feminism in today’s society we tend to direct our minds and thoughts to a more radical and powerful train of thought. Feminism has been going on for centuries, with two main ideologies at the forefront; liberal and cultural feminism. Someone who identifies as a liberal feminist is someone who believes that women and men are a like and equal in most respects and deserve equal roles and opportunities (Wood & Fixmer-Oraiz, 2017, p. 58). And cultural feminism is someone who identifies as someone who believes that men and women are fundamentally differently; you have different rights, role and opportunities (Wood & Fixmer-Oraiz, 2017, p. 58). The women’s rights movement can be understood and broken down into three “waves”.

I had never really thought about what it meant to be a feminist, it was just a role I had unquestionably assumed as I consider myself to be an advocate of women empowerment. After last week’s readings, I began to question what exactly does being a feminist entails, and why the label carries very different meanings and connotations to different people. There is a common misconception that feminists are radicals, seeking to be superior to men. This is rooted in the fact that women today do not face the same struggles as its predecessors; namely, the inability to vote, work, study, and own property, to name a few. It is true that I have more rights and privileges than women such as Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Sojourner Truth,

Feminism exists to give everyone the same opportunities and basic rights typically granted solely to straight, wealthy white males. Modern and early feminists alike fought for these rights and “while acknowledging these limitations (sexual orientation, race, and personality), both groups of peace workers recognized the significance of building identities for their respective communities through embracing principles of nonviolence and respect for diversity” (Pois). Feminism is a movement for those who are not born with everything handed to them, and for those who are forced to fight for everything they have. Anyone placed in a lesser position, seen as not meeting the expectations set before them, or otherwise disprivileged is represented through feminism. Feminists from each generation have aided in the development of women’s rights to create a better world for themselves and those around them.

Gender discrimination and violence against women were not part of the Human Rights Agenda until the 1990s when feminists began to push for this change (p84/book). One of the slogans of their campaign was that “Women’s Rights

The problematic issues that men has raised is more concerned with maintaining power and privilege over women than it is about equality. To claim that women are the favoured and the privileged ones is a ludicrous statement as represented in “Peggy Orenstein's 1994 text 'Schoolgirls' [in which includes] an anecdote which observed that, for many men and boys, equality is perceived as a loss” (Ford par. 14). In reality, whenever the gender equality is established in a society, either the male or female must give up some of their former privileges (Ford par. 14). As for 'female privileges,’ (Ford par. 14) it is subjective as to what one perceives as a privilege and others as a right. The perception of privileges is diversified considering that “in some places, it is considered a privilege that girls even be allowed to live” (Ford par. 14). Women’s gain in “privileges” and feminist campaigns is by all means not a way to oppress men. Those are the rights women are entitled to which they were not given in the past and a way to feel secure that the female voice is being heard alongside with the men’s. Male activist’s primary intention to speak out to women’s increasing dominance in society as demonstrated in their “agenda, [shows that it] is not to restore 'human rights' for all but to re-establish the dominance that has historically been enjoyed by men both legally and

The Merriam-Webster definition of feminism is “the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.” In the past century, gender roles have been challenged because of feminism. The very idea has completely flipped households, workplaces, and the general community and changed it for the better. A plethora of women’s movements were initiated in the 1960’s, and it gave people a look at how powerful women are when we stand united. Feminism has gained many followers in the past thirty to forty years as more people are becoming aware of conflicts pertaining to discrimination. However, there are many that were hesitant both in the 1960’s and in the present day, but for very different reasons. Nevertheless, persistence seems to be a beacon in women’s rights movements, thanks to very strong and level-headed role models.

Through the use of empathetic language rather than anger,the well known-award winning author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was able to capture and represent her personal ideas to those who haven 't been exposed to feminism and to those who constantly slanders it.In her twenty-first century short essay,We Should All Be Feminists,Adiche addresses feminism and sexism as unsettling issues that all of humanity should be majorily concerned and aware with.She prosposes a solution to the detrimental and negative cyclical persectives that society has imposed on of feminists and women in general based on her previous experiences.By narrowing in on her very own life experiences and her deep understanding of the often covered up realities of the treatment of women and their reputations,she zeros in on what it means to be a woman in the present day, exposes the injustices they frequently ecounter and ultimately explains why we should all be feminists.She focuses on the idea the everyone including both men and women are both the problem and solution to the controverisal and sensetive topic of what is called feminism.By taking these necessary steps and raising our children to understand these steps , Adichie proposes this can finally end the cyclical problem.

"We Should All Be Feminists," by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a very popular Ted Talk that wrestles with the idea of what feminism is in today's society. It focuses on defining the term in both cultural and political aspects. Through the use of humor Adichie provides her own definition, while also recalling various personal experiences that had taken place in both the Nigeria and the United States. In her speech Adichie also explains how she had to force herself to unlearn understandings about gender that were taught to her as she grew up. The main message of her speech revolves around the idea that we must reclaim feminism.

In the transcript, “We should all be feminists” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the author explores several stories in her life that contain gender issues about sexuality, gender inequality and double standard, which show that the idea of feminists is still needed in present-day. Over time the gender issue has cause a grave injustice. This essay wills examines the conception of norms about double standard, gender inequality, and sexuality from Adichie life. It wills portrayal norms issues about gender to realize certain matter a long history that are not important anymore to bring a positive change.

The author’s primary purpose throughout We Should All Be Feminists, simply stated, is to convince people everywhere that they should be feminists. This passage supports the author’s claim that everyone should be a feminist by implying that we, as a society, could be happier if we embodied feminist values. How we can do that, as Adichie claims, is that we need to raise our children differently, both our sons and our daughters. We raise our daughters to be non-aggressive and likable. We then raise our sons to be masculine and tough, which then leaves them with fragile egos (which is the reason we teach our daughters to not be aggressive, as to not threaten the fragile male ego). We teach our girls to worry about being liked by the boys, but

We Should All Be Feminists was adapted from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's popular TEDx Talk of the same name. The Talk was first delivered at TEDxEuston, which is held annually in Great Britain and features prominent leaders and thinkers speaking about issues relating to Africa. Adichie's TED Talk argues that "feminist" isn't a bad word and that everyone should be feminist. She begins with a brief anecdote about her friend Okoloma, with whom she grew up. Okoloma was a great thinker and enjoyed debating Adichie about anything and everything. One day, during a heated debate, he called Adichie a "feminist." She didn't know what the word meant at the time, but understood that it wasn't a compliment. In fact, Okoloma was criticizing her. She never forgot this incident.

I chose to read “We Should All Be Feminists” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie because I wanted to understand the meaning of feminism. Adichie discusses the gender roles of men and women. She mentions that women “have a need to prove their worth” due to social and cultural ideas. She also mentions that “women are under the idea of defining their role as women by how we should be rather than who we are”. In other words, women are forced to be and act the way society says they should.

We Should All Be Feminists is a book written by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. By definition, feminism is described as the belief in women’s rights based on gender equality. While the goal is noble, feminism in constantly held down by stereotypical beliefs and ignorance among both genders. Based on a TEDX talk given by Adichie of the same name, We Should All Be Feminists tells the story of how Adichie started out as a feminist, how feminism is defined today, and how we can encourage people to be more aware of feminism. This book is a good read for anyone who desires to learn about feminism without worrying about any biases in the content.

At Troy High School, 57 percent of students do not identify as a feminist, much of this percentage claiming that feminism is irrelevant as females already have equal rights and that the fight for equal gender rights is a “thing of the past” (Troy High Feminism Survey); but do these students actually know what feminism is? Feminism is a global movement to empower women of every age, economic standing, sexuality, and culture through gender equality. Often confused with misandry, or the hate of males, feminism simply wants to make both genders equal. Misogyny, or prejudice against females, is the main bane of feminism, a force so deeply embedded in our culture that feminists have had to fight it for centuries, and continue to fight it to keep our current rights while aiming for new ones that would ultimately achieve gender equality. Everyone should be a feminist to stop misogynistic standards and to create a safer more productive future.