We Should All Be Feminists

"All of us, women and men, must do better.”"

"“Some people ask: ‘Why the word feminist? Why not just say you are a believer in human rights, or something like that?’ Because that would be dishonest. Feminism is, of course, part of human rights in general- but to choose to use the vague expression human rights is to deny the specific and particular problem of gender.”"

"I was once talking about gender and a man said to me, ‘Why does it have to be you as a woman? Why not you as a human being?’ This type of question is a way of silencing a person’s specific experiences. Of course I am a human being, but there are particular things that happen to me in the world because I am a woman.”"

"Some people will say, Oh, but women have the real power: bottom power. (This is a Nigerian expression for a woman who uses her sexuality to get things from men.) But bottom power is not power at all, because the woman with bottom power is actually not powerful; she just has a good route to tap another person’s power.”"

"If we see the same thing over and over, it becomes normal.”"

"And I would like today to ask that we begin to dream about and plan for a different world.”"

"Masculinity is a hard, small cage, and we put boys inside this cage.”"

"The problem with gender is that it prescribes how we should be rather than recognizing how we are.”"

"I have chosen to no longer be apologetic for my femininity.”"

"Culture does not make people. People make culture.”"

"Boys and girls are undeniably different biologically, but socialization exaggerates the differences, and then starts a self-fulfilling process."

"Gender is not an easy conversation to have. It makes people uncomfortable, sometimes even irritable. Both men and women are resistant to talk about gender, or are quick to dismiss the problems of gender. Because thinking of changing the status quo is always uncomfortable."

"Culture does not make people. People make culture. If it is true that the full humanity of women is not our culture, then we can and must make it our culture."

"You hate men, you hate bras, you hate African culture, you think women should always be in charge, you don’t wear makeup, you don’t shave, you’re always angry, you don’t have a sense of humor, you don’t use deodorant.”"

"I often make the mistake of thinking that something that is obvious to me is just as obvious to everyone else.”"

"We have evolved. But our ideas of gender have not evolved very much.”"

"(Pages 17-18)"

"Gender as it functions today is a grave injustice”"

"“We do a great disservice to boys in how we raise them. We stifle the humanity of boys…. We teach boys to be afraid to fear, of weakness, of vulnerability. We teach them to mask their true selves, because they have to be, in Nigerian-speak – a hard man.”"

"A Nigerian acquaintance once asked me if I was worried that men would be intimidated by me. I was not worried at all- it had not occurred to me to be worried, because a man who will be intimidated by me is exactly the kind of man I would have no interest in.”"