Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Part One
I had fallen in love with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. She spoke to me on a personal level - as a female and fellow activist - and I felt empowered by her words. I felt as though everything that I have been struggling to put clearly into words had magically appeared on paper. Reading her words was validating, was encouraging, and it warmed my heart to see fellow women with likeminded opinions, and to see them published & promoted. I agree with her simple yet well written points. Her stories & anecdotes are personal, human, and relatable, and I believe that we can learn from her.
Unfortunately she had been in the spotlight lately because of her comments about trans women. We have to acknowledge that her comments about trans women as a cisgender feminist are hurtful, harmful and dangerous.
So let me be clear :
***Feminism CANNOT EXCLUDE.
***Feminism must support all people, and that means LISTENING.
***FEMINISM means to ASK questions, to LEARN, and if you do not know about something, ASK the person who has lived that experience.
***Trans people DO NOT need cisgender people to speak for them, especially if it is incorrect, NO MATTER THE INTENTIONS.
Just pass the mic.
***No matter the intention(s), we MUST critique what is/was said.
Adichie commented that trans individuals who were born “as a man… and then sort of changed, switched gender…” Let’s stop right there.
Trans women did not decide to change genders. They were born in a male body, but identify as female. They transitioned from a male body to a female body so that their body, their biological sex could match their true gender identity.
Adichie is speaking on a topic that she clearly does not fully understand, and blurring the terms gender and sex.
Now, I acknowledge that I am a cisgendered white feminist, but I have listened, I have asked, and I will continue to listen. I am trying to understand this topic as an ally, and I hope that I have clarified the topic justly, but am completely open to further corrections and clarifications.
With that being said, I do not agree with Adichie’s comments (or apology) about trans women, BUT that does not mean that everything else she has written is wrong or incorrect. Therefore, I do want to analyze her works and critique her views on Feminism.
Post. Script.
My lovely colleague Hayley Malouin (who we talked to in our first featured interview - posted April 19, 2017) summed up Adichie’s problematic trans comments perfectly, so I will leave you with her words, and the link she shared:
“What is dangerous …is her assumption of male privilege in trans women before they come out publicly or before they transition. That is an impossibility, as trans women - going by their own accounts, which are the authority - are *not* cis men who become trans. Her remarks allocate trans-ness a subcategory of womanhood, a move that is caught up in the exclusion of trans women from feminist discourses… Trans women are and will always be the experts on trans women. To claim that the issues women face and the issue trans women face are different *because* trans women were once perceived to men is an attack on the validity of trans women and their place at the forefront of contemporary feminist discourse… It is vital that trans women are given space as women who face multiple manifestations of that oppression AS WOMEN who have WOMEN'S EXPERIENCES. Anyway, I'm aware that I have said a LOT, and am contributing to the wealth of cis people speaking over (even if also attempting to speak for) trans folks, so I'll defer to Kat Blaque for the rest” (video below).
Further more, here is another link about “trans women vs. transwomen” if you're interested.
We Should All Be Feminists
Adichie pocket-book guide to Feminism is a modified transcript of her TEDxEuston talk from 2012. You may also recognize excerpts from this speech in Beyonce’s song “Flawless” (link to youtube version at the end of the article).
To me, Adichie’s explanation of feminism was accurate and all encompassing, because she did not solely focus on the female experience. She discussed how our current societal ideals affect both men and women, and how [all] genders should participate and promote feminism. She explains that, “My own definition of 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, we must do better.’ All of us, women and men, must do better” (p48). I do recognize that she does not overtly discuss anyone who does not identify within the male-female binaries, but she does use universal language which I will suggest to include those who identify anywhere along or outside the continuum (including gender fluid, genderqueer and trans).
With that being said, Adichie makes the effort to include men into the conversation of feminism. She tackles the prejudice assumptions that are so closely attached to the word feminism, by addressing that the “word feminist is so heavy with baggage, negative baggage: you hate men, you hate bras, you hate African culture, you think women should always be in charge, you don’t wear make-up, you don’t shave, you’re always angry, you don’t have a sense of humour, you don’t use deodorant” (p11). She explains that as a feminist, you are so much more than a stereotype.
I am a feminist, who has a love-hate relationship with bras; sometimes I fully embrace my natural unsupported breasts, while other days I appreciate the support of a bra. I am a feminist who sometimes loves the art of makeup and can spend up to an hour getting ready, while other times I don’t feel like spending any time of my face other than a light layer of moisturizer. I am a feminist who shaves because I like the feeling of soft smooth skin, and got in the habit of shaving as an athlete (I grew up a competitive swimmer); I would like to point out that both my male and female teammates would shave, and that it wasn’t a weird gender thing for male swimmers to shave. And I for the record I do not hate men. I cannot comprehend hating an entire group of people (whether based on race, gender or sexuality) based on prejudiced assumptions and stereotypes.
Adichie also tackles gender roles head on. She explains that “The person more qualified to lead is not the physically stronger person. It is the more intelligent, the more knowledgeable, the more creative, more innovative. And there are no hormones for those attributes. A man is as likely as a woman to be intelligent, innovative, creative. We have evolved. But our ideas of gender have not evolved very much” (p18). She blatantly questions why women struggle to become leaders in management positions. As a women, I was raised to always strive to be a leader, to work hard and earn the positions I aspire to. I was also told (repeatedly) throughout my childhood to “stop being so bossy”, “don’t brag” and “tone it down” when I thought that I was just being passionate and assertive. Because of this I was sent mixed signals; encouragement but also suppression; that to be a female leader I must lead quietly and politely. But I firmly believe that gender has nothing to do with leadership qualities. I strive to be polite, but I am not quiet. I have a voice and am not afraid to speak up when I think I should. I become passionate because I care. I believe that gender should not have an affect on your character or personality. Instead, as Adichie says, “I have chosen to no longer be apologetic for my femininity. And I want to be respected in all my femaleness. Because I deserve to be” (p39).
Lastly, Adichie touches on the negative affects of societal gender roles on males. She explains that “We do a great disservice to boys in how we raise them. We stifle the humanity of boys. We define masculinity in a very narrow way. Masculinity is a hard, small cage, and we put boys inside this cage. We teach boys to be afraid of fear, of weakness, or vulnerability. We teach them to mask their true selves, because they have to be, in Nigerian-speak, a hard man” (p26). Men and women (and any other individuals who identify otherwise) are human, and therefore have the ability to feel sadness, anger, compassion, empathy, passion, sympathy, regret, etc. We are people and should never be ashamed of our emotions or how we react to something or someone. But society teaches boys that to feel is to be weak, to express one's feelings is to be ‘a woman’. Tears are scary, and too often do we hear sayings such as “man up”, “stop being a pussy”, “stop acting like such a girl”. But why is femininity and weakness synonymous? Some of the strongest people I know - strength in character, physical strength, or strength in faith - are women. I am lucky enough to surround myself with strong female role-models, because they constantly remind me that strength has nothing to do with gender. Moreover, I respect my male friends who can open up and embrace their ‘softer side’, to be unafraid (or at least less hesitant) to cry during a sad movie or to show love and compassion towards another person or creature. Being a caring person should not be stifled from bogus gender norms. So men, we stand with you! We support you, and want to help fight against the gender injustices that plague men and women. We want you to understand that feminism is beneficial for all, includes all, and should be promoted by all. We want you, as allies, as activists, and as caring compassionate decent human beings. Please.
Sonic Approved