My partner says I'm too Westernized to be a real African woman
So we’ve been together for about two years, and lately things have gotten… weird. My girlfriend keeps saying I’ve “lost my African roots” because I speak my mind, especially when she wants me to just agree with her. Last week she told me, flat out, “a real African woman would be submissive. You’re too westernized.” I was stunned. I grew up in Lagos, moved to Toronto at 17. Yeah, I’ve picked up some things living here, but I still eat egusi soup every Sunday, I call my mum every Friday, I even teach her Yoruba sometimes. But now I’m not “African enough” because I don’t bend over backwards to make her feel in control? We had a huge fight after that. I told her she’s basically saying my worth depends on how quiet and agreeable I am. She said I’m being too sensitive. Said it’s just cultural. But it doesn’t feel like culture. It feels like she wants me to disappear. Like she loves the idea of an African woman, not me. What do I even do with that? We’re on a break now. I need to figure out if this is fixable or if I’m just loving a version of her that doesn’t actually see me.