We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

I went to an all girls college, rich with feminism and rooted in empowering women's education. Mount Saint Mary's University truly shaped me as a professional woman and introduced me to some of my favorite books. A staple in the femme library is of course "We Should All Be Feminists" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. A reiteration of her TED talk that was famously quoted in Beyonce's hit Flawless***.

“We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller. We say to girls, you can have ambition, but not too much. You should aim to be successful, but not too successful. Otherwise, you would threaten the man. Because I am female, I am expected to aspire to marriage. I am expected to make my life choices always keeping in mind that marriage is the most important. Now marriage can be a source of joy and love and mutual support but why do we teach girls to aspire to marriage and we don’t teach boys the same? We raise girls to see each other as competitors not for jobs or accomplishments, which I think can be a good thing, but for the attention of men. We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings in the way that boys are.” - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The rest of this speech can be found on her TED Talk, or more intimately in her book. Either way, the message is the same. Women are equals. We are multidimensional people with the strength to persevere through some of the worlds most horrific acts. To suppress 50% of the population is irresponsible and uplifting women is to uplift the world.

This book is great for your confused teenager, your ever-growing college student and everyone else in between. It simply tells girls that they are worthy and valuable. It helped me realize how powerful and privileged I am to have all that I do. Sharing her experiences and those of her peers put into perspective how the world sees women. It's a must-read. And if you're not a reader at least check out her powerful Ted Talk.