To me, feminism is a movement that focuses on deconstructing the patriarchy and establishing an embrace of femininity. A movement that pushes equality for the sexes but also builds strong core values for anything associated with the word femininity. Most of my life I have been around female role models and all of my friends consist of women. My father never seemed strong to me, since my mother carried most of the responsibilities of finding financial aid for housing and food while raising four children on her own. Despite the equal work struggle, my father was always named head of the house on documents. With friends, after a night out they would always say “Text me when you get home” which I never understood. After asking I discovered that this was a tactic that women or anyone appearing feminine would use to make sure their friends made it safe home. From my experiences, I would say I am a feminist and it’s important to embrace feminism even today, even if you believe men and women are equal in our society there is still a lot of work left to do.
Adichie defines feminism not as a movement but as an imbalance of power between the sexes. From her own life experiences Adichie brings insight into the situation, her ethnic background, and being a cis woman forms a perspective many others can relate to in the struggle for systematic equality. Through her experiences and observations, she highlights the pervasive gender inequalities embedded in societal norms and expectations. “A feminist is a man or a woman who says, Yes, there’s a problem with gender as it is today, and we must fix it.” (Adichie 28:50). Feminism, for her, is about challenging these norms and expectations that limit both men and women. It’s about questioning why certain roles, behaviors, and opportunities are assigned based on gender and pushing against them. She emphasizes the importance of raising both boys and girls differently, encouraging them to explore their interests without the constraints of gender stereotypes.
