04/10/2023
100 % 🖤 ME
Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie offered a group of teen girls at the Girls Write Now Awards fantastic advice about the importance of being true to yourself. She observed, "I think that what our society teaches young girls, and I think it's also something that's quite difficult for even older women and self-professed feminists to shrug off, is that idea that likability is an essential part of you, of the space you occupy in the world... [and] that you're supposed to hold back sometimes, pull back, don't quite say, don't be too pushy, because you have to be likable...
What I want to say to young girls is forget about likability. If you start thinking about being likable you are not going to tell your story honestly, because you are going to be so concerned with not offending, and that's going to ruin your story... The world is such a wonderful, diverse, and multifaceted place that there's somebody who's going to like you; you don't need to twist yourself into shapes."
For an empowering picture book about the value of being true to yourself regardless of what others think, we highly recommend "Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon" for ages 4 to 8 at https://www.amightygirl.com/stand-tall-molly-lou-melon
For an excellent book for pre-teen girls on staying true to yourself even in the midst of social pressure, we recommend "A Smart Girl's Guide: Drama, Rumors & Secrets: Staying True To Yourself In Changing Times," for ages 9 to 12 at https://www.amightygirl.com/drama-rumors-secrets
For a fantastic guide for teen girls that teaches them how to be true to themselves and strengthen their self-confidence, check out "The Self-Esteem Workbook for Teens" for ages 13 and up at https://www.amightygirl.com/the-self-esteem-workbook-for-teens
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has published a short book offering guidance on raising girls to become strong, independent women, "Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions" at https://www.amightygirl.com/dear-ijeawele
Adichie is also the author of several acclaimed novels including "Purple Hibiscus" (http://amzn.to/1q9TXCd), "Half of a Yellow Sun" (http://amzn.to/1uEGVSx), and "Americanah"(http://amzn.to/1qHkCN9), as well as the essay "We Should All Be Feminists" (https://www.amightygirl.com/dear-ijeawele) and its new accompanying journal "We Should All Be Feminists: A Guided Journal" (https://amzn.to/3ilQZjA)
She has also recently released a powerful and poignant reflection on grief based on the recent loss of her father: "Notes on Grief" at https://amzn.to/2TUtPb2
