DEAR IJEAWELE, OR A FEMINIST MANIFESTO IN FIFTEEN SUGGESTIONS by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

3.5 Stars

People will selectively use "tradition" to justify anything.

Simply put and well-stated. The epistolary format of feminist tenets worked beautifully, especially for those still trying to grasp the essentialism of it. It's really not hard, most of it is humanism that emphasizes not privileging gender.

Your feminist premise should be: I matter. I matter equally.

WITHOUT qualifiers.

The second tool is a question: Can I reverse X and get the same results?

Or as the adage goes, sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. The concept of gender equality is not hard; the execution is the work. And this letter written to the friend and mother of a newborn daughter and that journey that awaits are guideposts.

Personally, there are two that I think are the most difficult to overcome, today. The first is "likability" and frankly, in a social media world, I'm wondering if we're all going backwards. Civility and likability are not the same thing.

Teach her that she is not merely an object to be liked or disliked, she is also a subject who can like or dislike.

The second hurdle entail sexuality and how society frames it different for men and women.

The shame we attach to female sexuality is about control.

We all make mistakes, do things that are less admirable. The key is make amends as necessary and try again. This is it. Life is not a dress rehearsal.

Final thoughts:

Not all women are feminists and not all men are misogynists.

AND...

Saintliness is not a prerequisite for dignity.