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He said, "You know, you're a feminist." It was not a compliment.
Not more than two years ago - in the midst of an unintended voyage of discovery on Youtube - I came across a Ted Talk. I recognised the name of the speaker. It was the author of a book I had read during my attempt to digest a variety of literary pieces for IB English. Curious to see whether her mastery of the written word could also be sensed in her speech, I clicked on the video. I was soon confronted with - in my opinion - one of the most beautiful, complete conceptions of feminism.
"I am angry. Gender as it functions today is a grave injustice. We should all be angry. Anger has a long history of bringing about positive change; but, in addition to being angry, I'm also hopeful. Because I believe deeply in the ability of human beings to make and remake themselves for the better."
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - born in September 1977 in Enugu, Nigeria - is a public intellectual and writer who succeeds to translate her local, feminist experiences to a universal message, thereby questioning and criticising deeply-ingrained gender roles.
As a tribute to International Women's Day, to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and to everyone that calls for equality of gender, I would like to recommend to you her speech.
Not just to women. Also to men, because we should all be feminists.