The world tuned in when Emma Watson delivered a moving speech at the United Nations in September of last year when Watson and the UN Women launched the HeForShe campaign. HeForShe is a worldwide campaign that engages both men and women in the fight for gender equality.
After all the media attention died down following Watson’s speech, not much has been heard about HeForShe since.
Luckily, that is not actually true. Watson and the UN Women launched a new initiative as part of HeForShe. At a press conference in January of this year, the IMPACT 10X10X10 initiative was launched. According to the UN Women website, IMPACT 10X10X10 is, “a one-year pilot effort that aims to engage governments, corporations and universities as instruments of change positioned within some of the communities that most need to address deficiencies in women’s empowerment and gender equality and that have the greatest capacity to make and influence those changes.”
So what does that mean? It means that efforts towards gender equality are going to be enacted in universities, corporations and governments throughout the world.
UN Women Executive Director and Under-Secretary General Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said, “The HeForShe IMPACT Initiative puts responsibility for change right where it matters- and spotlights leaders who can make it happen.”
Universities especially impact us, as most of you reading this are either college-aged or somewhere near there. Young women and men on university campuses across the world will be involved in the efforts towards complete gender equality. It is never too late to join the fight.
The beauty about HeForShe is that it encompasses men and women. Like Watson said in her original UN speech, “Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive. Both men and women should feel free to be strong… It is time that we all perceive gender on a spectrum not as two opposing sets of ideals.”
Although many may regard Watson’s stance on the feminist front to be revolutionary, she is only reiterating what countless feminists before her have said. What is really revolutionary about Watson is her influence. Having been most known for her role as Hermione Granger, Watson is popular amongst young people around the world.
By Watson openly joining the fight for gender equality, she is simultaneously engaging a younger audience. That is what makes Watson so revolutionary. Her influence allows her to reach and inspire a wide range of audiences, particularly young men and women. By doing so, numerous young people of both genders like ourselves will be inspired to not only learn more about gender equality and what it really means, but to also actively become a part of the movement towards it.
To imagine what comes next for the HeForShe campaign after the IMPACT 10X10X10 initiative is impossible. So much can and needs to be done in order to finally achieve equality amongst both genders throughout the world. HeForShe is taking the necessary steps, however, to not only attract a younger audience, but to engage both genders. Isn’t that what really matters anyway? Gender equality can only be truly achieved if both men and women fight for it.