Mona Eltahawy

I want patriarchy to know that feminism is rage unleashed against its centuries of crimes against women and girls around the world, crimes that are justified by “culture” and “tradition” and “it’s just the way things are,” all of which are euphemisms for “this world is run by men for the benefit of men.” We must declare a feminism that is robust, aggressive, and unapologetic. It is the only way to combat a patriarchy that is systemic.

I own my body. Nobody else owns it: not the state, the street, or the home, not the church, mosque, or temple

Feminism should terrify the patriarchy. It should put patriarchy on notice that we demand nothing short of its destruction. We need fewer road maps toward a peace treaty with patriarchy and more manifestos on how to destroy it.

We need a feminism that is robust, aggressive, and unapologetic; a feminism that defies, disobeys, and disrupts that patriarchy, not one that collaborates with, coddles, and complies with it.

Anger is important in girls because waiting for patriarchy to self-correct, to do the right thing, to do the moral thing, has got us not very far. Anger is a first step to putting patriarchy on notice that we are done waiting.

Yes, I am those things, we must say. Yes, I am an angry woman. And angry women are free women.