We Should All be Feminist is An Essential Read, For All

A page into We Should All be Feminists, I learned that it is actually an essay, borne from a talk she gave in 2012. That’s Why it’s so short, I thought. Its brevity, I registered, is essential to its circulation. I probably would have read the back and returned it to its comfortable place on the shelf if not for its approachable length. I attribute this instinct to the unfortunate reputation feminist texts have. Many of us, myself included, dismiss them as angry jargon. Adichie’s essay-length book, however, reads like a conversation. Forty short pages? Anyone can get through that.

Not incidentally, the African voice in Beyoncé’s “Flawless” are clips from this speech. Stumbling upon the familiar  lines “We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller” was an exciting find, one which highlighted the text’s relevance to pop culture. Modern sexism, as Adichie makes clear, is subtle and habitual and nonetheless, blatantly existent. As a young woman, I am aware of this and much of what Adichie articulates-- she accurately voices many of her readers’ frustrations in clear language. But for those who believe men and women are treated equally, or who pridefully boast that gender is not on their radar, Adichie provides eloquent comebacks. 

For me, We Should All be Feminists was an empowering reminder not to compromise in the gaze of others, and an encouragement to call people on their BS. Further, it transformed my negative image, one wrought with stereotype, of the word “feminist,” and replaced it with pride. For others, the book would be enlightening. It is an explanatory and approachable yet lively book, one which is indispensable in defining feminism as a 21st century issue.