Chimamanda Adichie, multiple award-winning Nigerian writer, has spoken about her life as a mother, and feminist icon in the November issue of Marie Claire Brazil, an international magazine.
One of the pictures featured Adichie dressed in a simple T-shirt branded with the title of her iconic Ted talk, ‘We Should All Be Feminists’, accompanied with a black skirt and earrings, all from the Christian Dior fashion brand.
Adichie spoke on a range of topics including police violence, representation, art, self care, motherhood, and others in the interview.
The ‘Americana’ author stated that while she had faith in a better future for marginalised groups in society, especially black women, she sometimes fluctuates in her optimism.
“I am optimistic about the future, especially about the future of black women. But I have to be honest and say that I fluctuate, in different situations. Sometimes I think, ‘Yes, we’ll get there’. In others, I even think there has been progress, but very slowly,” she said.
Adichie also mentioned her fears as the mother of a 7-year-old daughter, whose identity she has successfully kept a closely guarded secret for years.
The feminist icon disclosed that one of her greatest fear as a mother was that her child might fall in love with a “horrible man.”
Adichie also revealed that she is very vigilant about the messages her daughter gets from the society and how they are interpreted.
“My biggest fear about my daughter’s future is that she might fall in love with a horrible man. Okay, maybe that’s not my biggest fear, but I really care about her being a woman in the world, I care about the messages girls get from society.
“I’m very vigilant, for example, with people talking about weight loss when she’s around. I don’t want her to live that kind of nonsense. She’s only 7 years old, but I’m already thinking about when she goes to college. If she’s going to be okay, if she’s going to have the right friends.
“I am trying hard to teach her to understand that she is enough. There are so many women in the world who think they somehow need a man to complete them. And I think it’s beautiful to want a man, but this idea of needing one… I’m going to try very hard to make her not think that way,” she said.
This will be Adichie’s second appearance on the cover of the reputable magazine, after her debut in 2019.