>
with Patrick Akpuh
Novelist and women’s right activist, Chimanmanda Adichie, on Sunday night challenged former US presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton for beginning her Twitter bio with the word “Wife” rather tha something about her many achievements.
Adichie’s questioning Clinton during an interview at a PEN world voices festival lecture at the Cooper Union in Manhattan, wanted to know if it was Clinton’s choice to first identify in relation to her husband, and if so, why?
She said going through her husband, Bill Clonton’s bio on Twitter, his first word was not ‘husband.’”
Bill Clinton’s Twitter bio leads with, ‘Founder, Clinton Foundation and 42nd President of the United States,’ for interested parties while Hillary’s reads: “Wife, mom, grandma, women+kids advocate, FLOTUS, Senator, SecState, hair icon, pantsuit aficionado, 2016 presidential candidate.”
According to a report by Rebecca Fishbein on The Slot, Hillary replied Adichie with good explanation for why “Wife” kicked off her bio, stating that women should be able to celebrate both their accomplishments and their relationships. She told a story about hearing the late Barbara Bush speak at Wellesley in the early 1990s. “She said, you know, at the end of the day, it won’t matter if you got a raise, it won’t matter if you wrote a great book, if you are not also someone who values relationships,” Clinton recalled.
Clinton also mentioned watching Senator Tammy Duckworth cast a Senate vote with her newborn strapped to her chest, marking the first time in history that babies were permitted on the Senate floor.
“I think that summed it all up,” Clinton said. “She’s a mom, she’s a Senator, she’s a combat veteran. She is somebody who is trying to integrate all of the various aspects of her life. And that’s what I’ve tried to do for a very long time, and it’s not easy.
“But I think most of us as women in today’ s world end up in the middle. Wanting to have relationships, wanting to invest in them , nurture them , but also pursuing our own interests”.
Although Adichie’s question was meant to know why Clinton chose that bio style, some reactions on Twitter think the writer is taking her feminism too far.
Kayode Ogundamisi on Twitter wrote: “Chimamanda is carrying her feminist police too far, I am with her on exposing the randy Nigerian media man but cant a FREE woman chose what how she describes self?”
“I think Feminism should encompass women referring to themselves whatever the way the seem fit.” wrote Inyang Ayo (@EnyaAyo). “Wife, mother, etc. Hillary Clinton has earned the right to call herself whatever and shouldn’t be called out for that based on someone else’s opinion. #ChimamandaNgoziAdichie.
In spite of her explanations, Clinton said Adichie had remnded her to update her bio. She said: “When you put it like that, I’m going to change it”.
This promted the reaction below:
Benny (@BenUgbana) wrote: “Nigeria’s Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is so respected across the globe that a one-time United State’s presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, offered to “change” her Twitter bio because Chimamanda was “upset” by it.
“But your unguided hatred for feminism won’t let u see this.”
So, what do you think. Did Adichie take feminism too far?