I know we all remember watching Emma Watson grow up as Hermione Granger in the great Harry Potter series. But as she has grown, she has aimed for more than just being an actress by using her platform as a foundation for her voice. I think it is about time people came to realize all she is doing for us women out there!
Image via Real Leaders
Despite her tight schedule, Watson continued her studies at Oxford University and Brown University where she graduated with a degree in English Literature in 2014. I mean, if that does not inspire you to do what you want, I don’t know what will!
Since then, Watson has promoted education for girls, visiting countries such as Zambia and Bangladesh to do so. In 2014, the hardworking actress was appointed as a United Nations (UN) Women Goodwill ambassador. Only three months later, Emma Watson delivered an address at the UN headquarters in New York City to launch the UN Women campaign HeForShe. This launch was to call men to advocate for gender equality and equal rights between women and men and making them feel more comfortable with calling themselves feminists.
In her speech, Emma Watson gave a blissful definition of what she believes feminism stands for: “the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities…man-hating…has to stop.” Watson did receive hate following the speech, however, she knew she had to strike with a strong statement to make her words be heard. I appreciate her willingness to speak out and express for those of us who do not have such a platform to do so.
Once HeForShe launched, Malala Yousafzai, 20-year-old Nobel Prize winner and human rights speaker, explained how she really related to Watson’s speech and now believes everyone should be a feminist: “after hearing your speech I decided there’s no way and there’s nothing wrong by calling yourself a feminist. So I’m a feminist and we all should be a feminist because feminism is another word for equality.”
If you didn’t already know, now you know that Emma Watson is truly an inspiration to all people and has sincerely made her statement in the world!