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A review by stephaniexpink
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
3.0
so late to this. on one hand, this is perfect as an introduction to demystifying feminism, especially for those on the spectrum who declare themselves as ‘anti-feminist’. I think the conversations in this are important; they’re basic but nonetheless form the basis of modern day feminism: discourse on gender roles etc. it also encapsulates feminism in other cultures, how it differs to western society which a lot of feminist rhetoric avoids-the author being Nigerian provides insight to a culture where feminism has been perceived insultingly. It’s very persuasive, but as a feminist I don’t need to be persuaded any more so, so I don’t think I can say this book affected me at all.
i did think that bits were contradictory, for example referencing gender expectations and roles, eradicating that but then referring to her suit as ‘manly’; to eradicate gender expectations and focus on the individual would also mean removing gender from clothing, hence I found this muddled. but I appreciated the author’s debunking the common association that femininity and feminism cannot coincide. i have seen critique on the lack of intersectionality regarding the lack of trans inclusive language, but I think with an essay written in 2015, this was expected. I have found that feminism within 2010s had a very binary approach to gender, and with an essay that is providing a very soft introduction to the concept, I think the focus on the binary was to simplify more than offend.
an over-simplistic approach to feminism but still informative and intelligent; does not apply as much to today, but this was adopted from a TED talk in 2012. I would of definitely loved this 9 years ago, but not so much today. the author is great though.
i did think that bits were contradictory, for example referencing gender expectations and roles, eradicating that but then referring to her suit as ‘manly’; to eradicate gender expectations and focus on the individual would also mean removing gender from clothing, hence I found this muddled. but I appreciated the author’s debunking the common association that femininity and feminism cannot coincide. i have seen critique on the lack of intersectionality regarding the lack of trans inclusive language, but I think with an essay written in 2015, this was expected. I have found that feminism within 2010s had a very binary approach to gender, and with an essay that is providing a very soft introduction to the concept, I think the focus on the binary was to simplify more than offend.
an over-simplistic approach to feminism but still informative and intelligent; does not apply as much to today, but this was adopted from a TED talk in 2012. I would of definitely loved this 9 years ago, but not so much today. the author is great though.