Conversation 4

Dear Adichie, your ted talk on feminism had many great points. I agree with everything you stated including, sexism beginning with children. If gender roles are set when the children are born that is all they will ever know. Little girls being told they have to be behind the boys within everything will cause these girls to have little to no self worth. If sons are raised to believe they need to be headstrong all the time and if you are vulnerable then that does not make you a man, these boys will grow into society as toxic. You made a very strong point when you said “Physical strength is no longer linked to power.” A man having more muscle mass should not belittle a womans drive and yet that is what society has become. When you started describing what feminism is you stated the misconceptions that go along with it. I agree with your statement about what society thinks a feminist is compared to what it actually is. People tend to think a women who is eager for equality is a women who is “unhappy because she is not married” or that they hate what being a woman comes with. That is so far from the truth and if you ask me is quiet sexisit. Feminism is recognizing that there is an equality issue and urging others around you about this issue. Over here in america sexism is very alive, men choosing what we should do with our bodies, job opportunities lost due to what muscle mass you have or even taking one look at two applicants. One a man and one women and assuming the man must be smarter simply because “he’s not emotional”. And of course the cat calling and being expected to just “take it”. In Africa it seems to be more immense as people in that society tend to think feminism does not exist where they are from. They are engraved with the idealism of what a man and women should look like. I condemn the stories you have told of yourself and you should be proud of everything you have accomplished. Thank you for being a voice many people are too weary to have. Best, Janice Boefer