When it comes to feminism in today’s society, it seems to be a topic that is widely discussed. As college women, it’s a topic that is drilled into our brains by our professors, our friends, and the media. We all form different opinions. Some of us consider ourselves feminists, some don’t. Some have a completely positive outlook on the term, while others refuse to even talk about it because of the negative connotations they associate with the term. Unfortunately, that negative association is becoming more and more popular among both men and women. It took the incredible strength and bravery of one young celebrity to finally speak out about how our generation can do something to change that.
Last week, actress Emma Watson took the stage at the United Nations headquarters to deliver an incredibly moving and emotional speech in regards to the misconceptions surrounding feminism. The Harry Potter star, who was recently named a United Nations Women Goodwill Ambassador spoke to help launch the new “HeForShe” campaign, which promotes gender equality.
Watson opened her speech by spreading the campaign message, which is that gender inequality can only be stopped once men and women accept that it as a serious issue. The 24-year-old went on to explain when she noticed a problem with the word, feminism.
“I was appointed as Goodwill Ambassador for U.N. Women six months ago and the more I’ve spoken about feminism, the more I have realized that fighting for women’s rights has too often become synonymous with man-hating. If there is one thing I know for certain, it is that this has to stop.”
The Brown University graduate continued by giving spot on examples of what it really means to be a feminist. She spoke about her beliefs that women and men should be paid equally for equal work, how women deserve to make decisions about their own bodies and how overall, men and women should be treated and respected equally in society.
Many people have the inaccurate assumption that supporting feminism means an individual believes that women are inferior to men. In her speech, Emma made it perfectly clear that that is not what the word means at all.
She went on to define the term, “For the record, feminism, by definition, is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. It is the theory of the political, economic and social equality of the sexes. I started questioning gender-based assumptions a long time ago.”
She also hit the nail on the head when it came to talking about male views on topic. While all women should be behind the movement for equal rights between the sexes, many are not. That “man hating” aspect that she spoke about isn’t only turning men away from the concept of feminism, but women as well.
“Women are choosing not to identify as feminists. Apparently, I am among the ranks of women whose expressions are seen as too strong, ‘too aggressive,’ isolating and anti-men, unattractive, even. Why has the word become such an uncomfortable one?”
As Watson said, as much as it is about getting women to be behind the movement, it is just as important to get men involved. However, it goes back to the same issue that many males consider feminism to be an issue for females. She spoke about how even though many men may think that gender inequality does not affect them as the “dominant” gender, that they are most definitely mistaken. More and more, males are also becoming victims to the issue of gender inequality.
“Men…gender equality is your issue too. Because to date, I’ve seen my father’s role as a parent being valued les by society despite my needing his presence, as a child, as much as my mother’s. I’ve seen young men suffering from mental illness, unable to ask for help, for fear it would make them less of a men—or less of a man. In fact, in the U.K., suicide is the biggest killer of men, between 20 to 49, eclipsing road accidents, cancer and coronary heart disease. I’ve seen men made fragile and insecure by a distorted sense of what constitutes male success. Men don’t have the benefits of equality, either.
We don’t want to talk about men being imprisoned by gender stereotypes but I can see that they are. When they are free, things will change for women as a natural consequence. If men don’t have to be aggressive, women won’t be compelled to be submissive. If men don’t need to control, women won’t have to be controlled.”
The English actress continued by saying, “It is time that we all see gender as a spectrum instead of two sets of opposing ideals. We should stop defining each other by what we are not and start defining ourselves by who we are.” Watson closed out her speech by inviting her audience to join the “HeForShe” movement.
“HeForShe” is a solidarity movement for gender equality. According to it’s website, the organization “brings together one half of humanity in support of the other of humanity, for the entirety of humanity.” Currently, 44,103 men in the United States have taken the stand for gender equality with “HeForShe” Around the world, 154,916 have pledged to join the movement. The organization encourages supporters to use the #HeForShe hash tag on social media to support the cause.
Although the actress did give a wonderfully moving and empowering speech, it is clear that the fight for gender equality is nowhere near being over. As an ambassador, she took on the incredibly daunting task showing the extreme importance of the issue at hand. As the young generation of college students, it is our responsibility to become part of the movement, and to bring change so that inequality and gender bias will soon be a thing of the past.