Feminist Writers or Writers Who Are Feminists?

In the world of literature, every female writer is analysed brutally by the public, with authors such as Elena Ferrante being hunted down by an amateur detective and Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche being reprimanded for her extensive Pan-African writing. Yet, James Patterson continues to co-write his stories, cash in millions and somehow manages to never ever be publically shamed. Funny how that works.

Every time a woman writes a story, she needs to be careful. Her characters cannot be too strong, they cannot be too weak, they need to be relatable but not too relatable, they need to be clever but not cliche... blah blah blah. If a woman writes about somebody who has no self esteem, she is seen as anti-feminist. If a woman writes about someone with a wonderful sense of confidence, she is seen as a "feminist bitch". Women just cannot seem to catch a break. 

It seems as though women's literature is somehow judged more harshly due to it being developed in the female mind. For some reason, every story a woman writes needs to be exemplary with perfect characters and perfect language to be considered decent. Whereas, Jo Nesbo can write the same book twelve times and have nobody bat an eye. 

Let women express themselves free from your patriarchal judgment. We have so many stories to tell and your unfair standards and misogynistic critique are simply standing in our way, move them. Oh and don't worry, we'll make sure to include a "strong male character" while we're at it.

- Mila Brkic