March Essay Competition

March 9 — March 22, 2026,

Prompt

The average man, regardless of creed, family background, religion, personal convictions, or social, economic, or marital status, will always feel threatened or intimidated by a successful, strong, independent woman.

Competition Home Page

Essay

Score

A STATEMENT THAT FEARS BOTH GENDERS.

By Nonso Obi

March 12, 2026 · 409 words · 3 min read

The average man, regardless of creed, family background, religion, personal convictions, social, economic, or marital status, will always feel threatened by a strong, successful, and independent woman."I don't even believe in the word "average."Who decided? Who measured? Who looked at every man walking this earth and said: "This one here, this is the middle. This is what normal looks like"?The men who feel threatened by strong women, they exist. Women aren't making it up. I've seen it. We've all seen it, especially in Nigeria. We've all seen the tension when a woman speaks too confidently. The slow suffocation of a partner who needed her small.But these men are not average. They're insecure. They're below average.They're the ones who never questioned the blueprint: provide, protect, control. They followed it without once asking if it was right. They chose insecurity over healing. Dominance and control over partnership.My dad is among those men. They're below average. Every single one. Here's what this statement does. It sneaks.It makes women walk through the world braced for threat. Waiting for the moment their success becomes a problem. Shrinking before anyone asks them to.And it makes men“secure men” feel accused before they've done anything wrong. Like no matter how much they cheer, support, celebrate, the question still whispers: "But you feel threatened though, right?"Both sides lose. The statement builds a wall and calls it truth.If you're with a man who feels threatened by your light who controls, isolates, diminishes,you don't have to stay.There are laws against this.The Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act 2015 exists. The VAPP Act. It defines violence broadly. Not just beating or slapping. Isolation. Economic abuse. Psychological abuse. Deprivation of liberty.If his insecurity becomes control, the law says: Your feelings do not justify this. Her autonomy is protected.  Yes, enforcement is hard. Yes, too many women don't know their rights. But the law is real. It has been used.  But here's the deeper thing for all of us. Man or woman, the call is the same. Do not be average. Do not be a conformist. Be different. Be secure. The men who feel threatened by strong women are not inevitable. They are not "just how men are." They are insecure. Don't be them.Be the man who sees her strength and thinks: I chose well. We rise together.Be the woman who refuses to shrink. Who walks away when staying means disappearing. Be the one who proves that the statement was wrong all along. The average man doesn't exist.There are only those who grow and those who don't.Choose growth.