Modern Feminism and Adichie

     First, I feel it is necessary to establish what modern feminism is defined as. In my understanding, feminism is a socio-political movement that seeks to end the marginalization of many groups and fight for equity (not just for women). People don't realize that feminism is a practice against all harmful prejudices, like classism, sexism, racism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, etc. Feminism is not just a movement for women anymore, it is for all people and even sometimes the environment (Check out Karen Warren's ecological feminism essays, where she uses feminist principles to fight for environmental rights).  Knowing this very basic definition, I think Adichie does some amazing things in outlining her feminist ideas, but I think in the second half I have one minor critique.

    What Adichie does well, is she instills a sense of identity and pride in womanhood. She encourages not only Ijeawele's daughter to seek these traits, but also Ijeawele, and herself. When trying to encourage Ijeawele to teach her daughter about sex without shame, she mentions: "To make sure she doesn't inherit shame from you, you have to free yourself from your own inherited shame. And I know how terribly difficult that is." (Adichie, 53). Obviously, she is writing a letter to Ijeawele to give advice to her daughter, but this specific piece of advice being directed at Ijeawele herself speaks a lot. It shows how we as women are discouraged from talking about sex, and how we are supposed to feel ashamed of biological needs and functions. This is something so ingrained in our language that it is hard to break away from. Hearing Adichie acknowledge this and encourage our breakaway from that norm. Moreover, Adichie does encourage the destigmatization of misogynistic prejudices and preconceived ideas. It is refreshing to hear the argument against sexism. It is also somewhat eye-opening. If you aren't familiar with all of the cultural norms that have roots in misogyny, it can be jarring to hear how many aspects of society can be critiqued. 

    For Adichie's thirteenth suggestion she writes about romance. But she clarifies and says she will only write about heterosexual romance. Adichie acknowledges that this might not be the case, but considering so much of her advice before this suggestion has also been hetero-focused I feel as though this is ill-timed. Adichie's suggestions about sex, identity, and womanhood, are all centered around a cis-hetero perspective. Perhaps if this suggestion was earlier in her letter I wouldn't feel so off about it. But when talking about oppression, especially for something so personal as identity, I wish that the acknowledgment of addressing one specific identity came earlier. That way all the advice could be taken from a cis-hetero context instead of the advice following the thirteenth suggestion, especially considering that this letter became a greater publication. 

    But realistically, Adichie has done much more in abolishing misogynistic prejudices in both her feminist manifesto and her other publications. That alone is an incredibly important accomplishment and integral in changing the way we talk about women's rights, especially in the 21st century.

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