One of the most beautiful elements of the English language is the fluidity of definitions. The meanings of words change over time and a word can mean something different to everyone who hears it. This effectively keeps the English language from getting stuck in the past and allows for a more personalized experience of language. In spite of its beauty, the fluidity of meaning does have its drawbacks, especially when a population can’t seem to agree what a word really means. Non-consensus tends to lead to arguments and no word has the potential to spark more argument than the one I’ll be discussing today: Feminism.
My interest in this topic came from a debate that’s been all over the internet. Emma Watson, the 26-year-old British actress best known for her roles in films such as Harry Potter, Perks of Being a Wallflower, and the live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast, has been a firm and continuous supporter of women’s rights. A UN Women Goodwill Ambassador since 2014, Watson helped launch the HeforShe campaign and created the feminist book club, Our Shared Shelf. In the past few weeks, Watson has come under fire after Vanity Fair released a photo of Watson posing with her breasts partially exposed. Critics were quick to air their qualms on social media, calling Watson’s pose hypocritical and contradictory to her feminist views. Radio presenter Julia Hartley-Brewer tweeted, “She complains that women are sexualized and then sexualizes herself in her own work. Hypocrisy.”
Critics of the shoot have also pointed out the fact that only certain kinds of women (usually thin, young, conventionally pretty) are given the spotlight and that Watson is profiting off of a culture that glorifies one type of body and keeps those who don’t fit the mold of the front page. Others have laid their criticism on Vanity Fair, not Watson, pointing out the magazine’s long-held preference for undressed female models.
I can understand where Watson’s critics are coming from. The objectification, commodification, and sexualization of women is a serious issue, and Watson’s pose can be interpreted as another instance of those phenomenons. But I think this particular situation highlights a much larger issue. What does it really mean to be a feminist? What is and isn’t feminist? Who gets to rightfully call themselves a feminist?
Feminism is a word that unfortunately comes with a lot of baggage. First off, there are all different kinds of Feminism (a list of which you can find here) and that has the potential to make things murky. Many people find the term off-putting as evidenced by the growing list of celebrities who refuse to identify themselves as feminists.
Feminism also tends to invoke the stereotypical image of the bitchy, bra-burning, man-hating radical who never stops complaining and is incapable of being quiet that very few women want to be associated with. Even within the feminist community, there seems to be disagreement as to what supports or goes against the ideals of Feminism, as the Watson photo clearly demonstrates. So, is Emma Watson a hypocrite and anti-feminist for showing a some of her breasts?
My answer: No, no she is not.
I’m not going to pretend that my opinion is the right one. I am by no means a Feminism expert. But at the end of the day Feminism is about equality between the sexes and giving equal freedom to all genders. Men pose in skimpy outfits on magazines and billboards every day and no one bats an eye. Just as a man has the right to display parts of his body without fear of criticism, so should Watson and every other woman. Watson is embracing her freedom and doing what she wants and to that I say: You go girl!
I think Watson summarizes the argument best: “Feminism is about giving women choice, Feminism is not a stick with which to beat other women with. It’s about freedom, it’s about liberation, it’s about equality. I really don’t know what my t*ts have to do with it.”
Thumbnail Courtesy of Tim Walker/Vanity Fair
Gifs Courtesy of Fusion.net and Giphy