I do not identify as a feminist.
No.
The philosophy of my life does not permit me to do that.
And I will tell you why.
Feminism is an argument that defeats itself even before it starts.
It makes the male species the standard of equality and excellence.
Such that women have to “fight” to be equal to men.
And I say a resounding NO.
I am not equal to a man.
That would be way below what the creator intended for me.
I am equal to the 4.5 billion cells in my brain.
I am equal to its processing speed of millions of bits of information per second.
I am equal to being anything I want to be in this world.
When the United Nations carefully hand picked 15 university students from across the globe to sit on its highest committee at the youth conference of 2011, and I happened to be one of them; I was not thinking of the boys in the committee when I spent the entire night at my sister’s house in Lagos, writing my position paper.
If that was a race, I was running to defeat my old self, not the boys, because my worth came from deep within my being and not from attempts at being equal to them.
When I was called to receive my prize of best position paper, I wasn’t happy I had defeated the boys.
I was happy that I had outrun my old self and added another feather to my cap.
Feminism creates an unworthy opponent (the abilities/achievements/privileges of men) and sets women up to compete with it.
I would rather summon the billions of cells in my brain to a meeting and throw down the gauntlet to them.
That is the kind of competition women should be in.
But society has deceived women to believe they have to “fight” to be equal to men.
And that makes men with low self esteem very happy.
“At least you people are fighting to be like us, naa! Lol!”
You see how the argument defeats itself?
That is why I do not subscribe to it.
I am at a far higher level with women like Phillipa Fawcett who was admitted to study at the University of Cambridge without the prospects of getting a certificate.
She didn’t go about carrying placards.
She simply sat, summoned her brain and put it to work. And when the final results came, she smashed the records of the entire university, dusting all the men with her superior grades.
Thus, a culture of oppression imploded on itself.
I am at a higher level with women like Margaret Thatcher, who became the first female prime minister of the United Kingdom just under a hundred years after women were being sold like cattle by their husbands on British soil.
This was what she had to say about feminism:
“I hate feminism. It is poison.”
For me, feminism is like a lion comparing himself with a cat.
Well, because the lion does not really know he is a lion,
And the cat who is feeling like he is a cat does not really know he is a crocodile.
Now, imagine that the lion realises he is really a lion and the cat realises he is really a crocodile.
So, how do you stage a competition for them?
You see where that leaves us?
Daalu nu.
Still Waters.. 
Feminism is bigger than you and your achievements.
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Dear Chioma,
While I absolutely agree with you, I am a scientist and there is something that is called a primer in research labs. It is a template used as a foundation for DNA amplification experiments. Without this primer, there would be no amplification.
If feminism is the DNA amplification process, the achievements of women is the primer.
When women are verbally put down, they look up to the achievements of women like Phillipa Fawcett, Margaret Thatcher, Angela Merkel, Marie Curie, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Dora Akunyili and a host of others, and by so doing, they gain strength and inspiration to reach for the stars.
I would rather be an inspiration for women, than a noise-maker achieving nothing but carrying placards.
Do study the history of feminism.
The placard carriers did NOTHING but build on the primers that were the achievements of women who never made a hell of noise.
And I belong to that primer club.
I urge you to join us too.
It’s beautiful, here.
Udo diri gi.
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Do you know what those placards do? Like billboard and TV commercials, they create awareness. A lot of the sexism in the world were spread through “placards” of sort. Through advertising and spreading a destructive beliefs from generation to generation, from community to community. Many feminists cannot afford to buy TV time promoting equality, they cannot afford to make movies challenging the status quo but do you know how they can create awareness? Through those placards which you speaks so condescendingly of.
Do you know why they NEED to create awareness? Because men and women do not even realize how much better we could be doing as a society. Those placards are there to let people know.
A few women have had important roles now and then in history but do you know what that does? Nothing. Many of those women were women like yourself. Women who didn’t care about other women in truth. Women who’d rather say, “I made it even as a woman” and rub it in everyone’s face rather than create a platform for other women to climb too.
The truth is, we’re all different humans with different capabilities. Everyone cannot be you, Madam Uju Okorie. Feminism exists for the women who circumstances have made thriving like you, almost impossible. Those placards exist so that everyone doesn’t have to be Margaret Thatcher or Uju OKorie to feel equal, to possess the same rights as the next person. Every woman who wants to walk down a street without being or feeling molested, every woman who wants to be treated respectfully like a human, every woman who wants more in life than what her society permits, do not need to become scientists or prime ministers.
Those placards exists so that everyone, male or female, in every society, in every aspect of life are given a far chance.
Udo diri kwa gi.
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I must commend your willingness to debate respectfully, Chioma.
Your first comment, unfortunately, did not appear to be with any form of decorum.
In any case, thank you.
If the placards of feminism have existed only to create awareness of the injustice in our society as you most eloquently posit, there would be no need for this blog post of mine.
The placards of feminism, most regretfully, have also existed to portray every woman on the planet as a helpless victim of an oppressive patriarchy.
One of the reasons I have never found feminism worthy to be identified with is that it depresses me, making nonsense of my innate worth and capabilities.
If that is creating awareness, my friend, I’d rather shut my windows to keep the noise out, and work to shame the patriarchy that has based its oppression of me, on my supposed incapacity to be something men can be.
We do not need feminism to have common sense.
Victorian feminists referred to their calls for freedom as a double edged sword.
If I want to fight an ideology, utilising a weapon with the capacity to kill both the enemy and me, would be a thing most unwise to do.
But, that is what feminism does.
Equity is what every woman on the planet needs.
Equality? That pretends to provide equity, but with the inevitable oppression of women at its tail end.
I’d just rather not.
Thank you.😊
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I find it very amusing when people say “equity” not “equality” in a bid to somehow discredit feminism. The truth is, the equality feminism preaches can only be achieved through reasonable implementation of equity.
Now not every woman might admit being a “victims of patriarchy”, case in point, you but we all are.
The earlier we stop lying to ourselves the better.
The beautiful thing about feminism is, it has such a broad scope. I’m sure if you look hard enough, Madam Uju Okorie, you’d find something that speaks to you.
Like I said earlier feminism is bigger than you and your achievements. Many successful women have broken down barriers with their excellence but still have taken it upon themselves to help other women who might otherwise be lacking.
Being a woman in many parts of the world today is unsafe. Even here in Nigeria. No one really cares about your academic achievements to be frank. In the end you’re still a woman, to be validated only by marriage and the ability to bear children.
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Firstly, I am not merely trying to somehow discredit feminism.
I am rather diametrically opposed to its concept and out to lay it bare for what it is: A confused self-defeating ideology.
Second, it is an amusing falsehood to portray equality as a will-be reasonable implementation of equity.
The reasonable implementation of equity will not amount to equality. It will amount to men and women being treated according to what their inalienable rights from the creator dictates.
You will not be denied your maternity rights as a new mother if you are treated in an equitable manner.
If equality should be implemented in the workplace in the real meaning of the word, that is what you will get: “No work, no pay. Men don’t have babies anyway.”
Third, feminism was not bigger than the achievement of Phillipa Fawcett when she smashed the records of the University of Cambridge in the summer of 1890.
Feminists rather cluttered around that achievement and used it to shine.
It was that achievement that moved for the recognition of the university education of the girl child in England.
Feminism was not bigger than the achievements of the women who donned war clothes and manufactured bombs during the First World War.
In fact, that achievement was the REASON feminism could continue to scream in 20th century Britain.
Need I say more?
The glaring fact is that feminism CANNOT exist without the grand accomplishments of women and the reason is very simple: Patriarchy bases its oppression on nothing else but the supposed inability of women.
So, saying feminism is bigger than the achievements of women makes absolutely zero sense.
To conclude, while I have succeeded in breaking barriers, I have also succeeded in being an unapologetic motivator and mentor to many many women. If you took the time to read the about section of this blog, you will have noticed that it is, largely among other things, dedicated to helping women.
I do not motivate women by making a hell of noise, making nonsense of their capabilities and portraying them as helpless victims; I motivate women by making them realise their potentials and thereby shaming the patriarchy that so desperately desires to see them oppressed.
That, my sister, is the difference between feminists and me.
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I don’t know what you’re driving at but I’m certain no feminist ever said women shouldn’t work hard to achieve. Feminism says women shouldn’t have to struggle harder than their male counterparts to achieve the same thing.
But in the end, believe whatever you want.
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It is rather unfortunate that after making it absolutely clear that my aim is to lay bare the confused self-defeating ideology feminism is, you are still wondering what it is I want to achieve.
Smh..
Also, it is an established fact that I am well entitled to my beliefs and thought processes. And that I do not need your permission to believe, practise and preach whatever ideology I choose.
And so do you as a feminist.
So, what exactly were you here to do?
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Brilliant! Feminism is actually calling for superiority under the guise of gender equality. I wish most followers of this move would do some research on its history.
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Thank you for reading.
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Reblogged this on colourherlush's Blog.
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Thank you.😊
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Great Piece dear 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
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You are welcome.😊
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Can’t agree less
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Thank you, Ese.
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Please grant me the permission to reblog this. This is awesome!
I couldnt agree more
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You are just you and that’s what I love most. I do try to be myself when blogging tho it can be hard. God bless u. This is my first time here and I’ve just been reading posts… Battery low
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