Emma Watson is known for being many things: Hermione Granger, an Ivy-League graduate, devilishly good looking, and most recently… a feminist.
Recently, Watson, a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, received a standing ovation after addressing the United Nations with a speech that advocated for gender equality. She spoke about the challenges of achieving gender equality, and encouraged both men and women to embrace the word “feminism.”
“Fighting for women’s rights has too often become synonymous with man-hating. And one thing I know for certain is that this has got to stop,” said Watson during her speech. “For the record, feminism by definition is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. It is the theory of political, economic and social equality of the sexes.”
Watson recently launched the “He For She” campaign in hopes of including more men in the fight against gender inequality. The campaign has gained more than 150,000 male supporters from around the world in little more than a week.
After watching her speech and witnessing how well social media had responded, I felt there had finally been a breakthrough for countless women and men who are victims of inequality. Watson’s speech provided an accurate definition of what it means to be a feminist, and cast away all doubts that feminism is an anti-male movement led by women who are not allowed to be feminine. Watson proudly broke this stereotype when she called herself a feminist while wearing high heels, pink lipstick, and a dress by Dior. It is time we acknowledged feminism is an equality movement for all.
“I decided that I was a feminist. This seemed uncomplicated to me,” said Watson attempting to break misconceptions of identifying with feminism. “Why has the word become such an uncomfortable one? I think it is right I am paid the same as my male counterparts. I think it is right that I should be able to make decisions about my own body.”Unfortunately not everyone was as thrilled as I was with Watson’s address. In fact, hackers threatened to leak nude pictures of Watson hours after her speech was released. It was a disgusting attempt to humiliate a young woman for placing herself in front of the world’s greatest humanitarian leaders and expressing a valid concern: that her rights as a woman are being ignored.
The leak turned out to be a hoax, but it serves as evidence that Watson has a long and tedious fight ahead of her. Luckily many came to Watson’s defense and offered support, including Harriet Minter, who writes for The Guardian.
“How depressing to be silenced by a threat, to believe that each time you point out an injustice you just bring more harm to yourself,” said Minter in an article. “The only way we solve this is by being vocal in our condemnation of the people who try to tear others down.”
And yes, many people have been vocal. Celebrities such as Harry Styles, Russell Crowe, Logan Lerman, and many others have tweeted pictures in support of #HeForShe.
However, much as I love the intentions behind it, I will concede the campaign is not perfect. It has been pointed out that the name of the campaign may not be in line with gender equality.
“Instead of ‘He For She,’ perhaps the campaign should have been branded ‘Stand With Women,’ to imply that men would be standing beside women instead of standing up for them,” said Amy McCarthy in an opinion article for xoJane.
I agree with McCarthy on this point. The name “He For She” lacks female empowerment, and may give the impression that women can’t live independently from men. However, gender equality cannot be achieved unless men (who constitute 50% of the population) support it too.
Watson mentioned that the purpose of the campaign was to “mobilize as many men and boys as possible to be advocates for change.” In this context, “He For She” makes sense as it focuses on gathering male support, and as Watson pointed out, “Men don’t have the benefits of equality either.”
Much of the world believes it is embarrassing for men to show weakness or express sensitivity, so it is true that they are also victims of gender stereotypes. However, I fear the campaign may focus too much on men, and as a consequence lose female support. The “He For She” website shows the number of males who have signed up to support the campaign, but it does not mention the number of female supporters. This is a decision I would seriously reconsider. When it comes to gender equality, both male and female supporters are of great importance.
Meticulous observations aside, I’m still very much in favor of the campaign. Watson has proven to be a smart, brave and outspoken young woman we should all admire. Standing up for equal rights takes courage, and doing it in front of the United Nations, so eloquently and confidently, shows her fearlessness and dedication to the campaign. She is an amazing role model for girls and boys alike, inspiring everyone to be brave enough to fight for gender equality.
Watson finished her speech by encouraging the world to take action. “Ask yourself: if not me, who? If not now, when?”
Stay strong Emma. You got this.
Sources:
http://www.celebuzz.com/2014-09-25/emma-watson-feminism-nudes-leak-hoax/
http://www.xojane.com/issues/emma-watson-he-for-she