Summary

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie begins her commencement address at Wellesley College by thanking the audience for inviting her and by praising the graduates.

She explains that she has chosen a yellow head-wrap to match the colour of the graduating class, after first considering yellow makeup.

Adichie goes on to talk about makeup and gender differences using a personal story. When she was younger, she was put down by a man who believed that her opinions did not matter because she was a woman and because she looked much younger. The incident made her decide to wear makeup to look older. However, this was not the first time she noticed gender inequality.

Adichie mentions how the privileges offered to men often make them unaware of the inequalities that surround them. Similarly, she warns the graduates to not let themselves b...