Review of "We Should All Be Feminists" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

“We Should All Be Feminists” by Chimamanda Ngozi is a short essay turned into an immensely popular Ted- Ed speech. Adichie discusses what it means to be “feminist,” from her first negative interaction with the word's sexism at age fourteen. Throughout her life, her work was criticized for being too feminist, with even her family members labelling her works’ feminism as being influenced by western culture. Through the various definitions she has been told through her life of what "feminist" means, she has had to alter her definition of feminism to fit both her own femininity and her belief in gender equality.

Adichie also deeply examines how to raise boys to be feminists: by redefining masculinity, which is often seen as a “cage” rather than a trait. We teach boys that they need to prove their masculinity by hiding their emotion and being stoic. By pushing masculinity onto boys, their ego becomes extremely fragile. The way we raise boys can make them more feminist because they do not feel like they have to prove themselves as masculine. However, Adichie notes that the way we raise girls contributes to sexism even more. When a man attempts to prove himself as masculine, we teach girls to tend to the boys’ fragile masculinity, simultaneously decreasing their own self-worth. Therefore, Adichie asks, “What if we question the premise itself? Why should a woman’s success be a threat to a man?” She notes the importance of marriage in a girl’s life, particularly her childhood when forming her aspirations, but we certainly do not stress the importance of marriage to boys. We expect so little from men in comparison to women, particularly through the suppression of natural desires, ambitions, and impulses. But why do those underlying beliefs of gender roles persist? Because they are taught at a young age. In order to undermine these beliefs, we not only have to stop teaching them at a young age, but show examples of both men and women acting equally.

So, what is a feminist? Adichie ends her speech well when she says, “A feminist is a man or a woman who says, ‘Yes there’s a problem with gender as it is today, and we must do better.’ The best feminist I know is my brother Kenny. He is also a kind, good-looking, lovely man, and he’s very masculine.”