At the inaugural United State of Women event held at the White House a few months ago, American President Barack Obama made a bold statement: “I may be a little grayer than I was eight years ago, but this is what a feminist looks like,” said the President to an audience that erupted in applause.
Obama is clearly proud to call himself a “feminist” but that is not persuasive enough for Nigerian R&B singer Seyi Shay to join him. The Island Records artist recently made it clear, in an interview with The Cable Lifestyle, that she is not a feminist even though she is a part of the United Nations (UN) campaign to empower women globally.
“I’m not a feminist, I just believe in the principles of human rights so I fight for it”, said the controversial singer. Her statement has since gone viral and some view it as a contradiction given her role at the UN.
What do I think?
I’ll answer it this way. For me, I detest boxes. I detest labels. I just want to be i.e. live and let live and I try to accord people the same right to be. I believe life is complex, it’s fluid and we are constantly evolving. For some of us, we make a conscientious effort to grow and become better versions of ourselves.
I don’t want to be called a feminist, womanist, humanist or what have you. At the end of the day, it is somebody or some group, within a society, espousing an idea of who or what my identity ought to be. I believe that decision is solely mine to make, and one I exercise complete control and autonomy over. So, I always say, “skip me when it comes to the labels” and I will define who and what I am for myself.
Further, it doesn’t help that the feminism movement is deeply fragmented, can be very confusing especially when it comes to defining what and who truly is a “feminist”. Over the past few decades, we have seen a plethora of definitions and viewpoints and the argument that the movement does not quite respond to the needs of subgroups within the movement. For example, an African feminist in Africa may have a completely different viewpoint from her white counterpart on what feminism means, and the rights she is fighting for. The same holds for an African-American feminist.
However, I do recognize and respect those who choose to affiliate themselves with labels that they think best describes them. In fact I would say whether we like it or not, to some extent, there is a role for labels in society. For some, it provides clarity, stability, connection, affiliation, and even a sense of community.
Therefore, I am indifferent and do not care that Seyi Shay refuses to categorize herself as a “feminist.”
I’ve spent time studying and even, once upon a time, participated in the movement but what stays consistent for me, from the beginning of time till now, is I just don’t like to be boxed, defined, restricted etc. I just like to be and as such, again, try to accord people the same respect and freedom to do the same. People should organically evolve into whatever they think they are without us constantly try to define them.
Call my brand of philosophy “Ms.Uduakism,” if you like.
~Ms. Uduak
INTERVIEW: I’m not a feminist, says Seyi Shay
“Seyi Shay doesn’t belong to any school of feminism but she’s an advocate of female empowerment. To many that’s a paradox but to Seyi, that’s her a reality.
“I’m not a feminist, I just believe in the principles of human rights so I fight for it”, said the often outspoken, hardly demure Deborah Oluwaseyi Joshua, who neither fits a stereotype nor gets pulled down by slips or letdowns.
The ‘Murda’ singer, having had her fair share of gaffes, constantly trudges ahead and manages to keep reinventing herself and winning our hearts with every new release.
When she’s not winning hearts, Seyi is championing a cause. Her involvement in the United Nations women and girl-child empowerment campaign is testament to that…” – Full story on TheCableLifestyle.com