Maggie Meade

Mary Ellis Rice

Engaging the Liberal Arts

6 September 2017

We Should All Be Feminists Response

Growing up in a female-dominated household, I had assumed for most of my life that

feminism was a common ideal held by everyone. The breadwinner of my family, my mother,

was strong and independent, and had always taught my sisters and me to be so as well; feminism

was more of a fundamental truth in my family. As I grew older, however, I started noticing that

not everyone felt the same way. While listening to Chimamanda speak, I noticed several parallels

to her feminist realizations to my own, despite having matured in a society that culturally varies

drastically from hers.

I learned feminism from my mother, my grandmother, and my sisters. My mother had

always stressed that women could do anything that men could do, which was my first definition

of feminism. I grew up challenging the boys in my classes because I knew that I should be able

to match their abilities. As I entered adolescence, I started labeling myself as a feminist. I

quickly realized that in the conservative area of south-west Virginia, that being an f word was

not a positive attribute to have, as Chimamanda also noted. Nevertheless, I refused to hide my

beliefs. While the many men around me assumed that being a feminist meant that I was a man-

hating lesbian, I continued to research feminism and the ideals it held, and found that I agree

wholeheartedly with Chimamandas definition.

I find feminism to be incredibly important because of the double standards I have seen

for both males and females. For example, women are expected to take care of the house while
the man supports her. This is unfair to both sexes, because not only are women put down and

unable to provide for their families, but men are forced in a position of significant responsibility

that they never asked for. Neither sex should be forced to carry the load of providing everything

for the household, nor should either sex be degraded into a position of subordination. While the

aforementioned example is likely the most common of gender inequality, there are also many

overlooked examples of how society subliminally teaches gender inequality to be acceptable.

When I was little, I had always loved the boys toys. However, I was scared to play with them

because I thought that, as a girl, I was not supposed to because of a little gender label. Being

friends with many men, I am always surprised at how hesitant they are to share their emotions

with me because of how society has taught them to sacrifice their feelings for their masculinity.

Society has a huge psychological impact on how people feel they are allowed to act in

order to be accepted. One part of Chimamandas TED talk that caught my interest was when she

stated that culture does not make people, but rather people create culture. Culture can most

certainly be changed if people are perpetually changing. If I were to change culture, I would start

by teaching people to show kindness to others, rather than teaching people to fear others. The

mindset of fear condones the actions of tyrants, as opposed to discouraging their behavior.

There are many feminists in my life that have changed how I view the world. My favorite

feminist would be my mother, who has always been able to do everything on her own. She, as

well as my sisters, taught me that I never had to depend on anyone. However, if I were to pick a

public feminist icon, one favorite that comes to mind is Roxanne Gay. While there are many

more figures that I could mention that inspire me in countless ways, I chose Roxanne because I

relate to her self-identification as a bad feminist. I am a feminist, but in many ways, I am a

bad one. I love rap music that objectifies women and refers to them in degrading manners. I
find that I would be an exceptional stay-at-home mom and I actually enjoy housework. I wear

certain outfits because I want to be objectified; I want someone to look at my body and be

impressed. I love being feminine and many of the aspects that associated with the female sex.

However, that does not mean that I will stop to fight for the many women who desire a different

path from my own. The important part about feminism is the right to equality, which includes the

right to choose the course of ones life without the pressure to fit into a mold.