While the internet has collectively lost its marbles over Emma Watson’s HeForShe speech last week…
I was left feeling slightly disappointed.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple of weeks (which might be understandable due to the first round of midterms) you’ve probably either seen Emma Watson’s speech given at the U.N., or at least heard about it. Watson, who has been appointed as a U.N. Goodwill Ambassador, is launching a new campaign called HeForShe. In this campaign she formally invites men to join the fight for gender equality.
With all the hype and collective excitement, it seems impossible that there could be any fault in Watson’s moving and passionate speech. But, while there are many things that she did right, there are a few things that I think people should think a little harder about instead of blindly accepting the general consensus that Watson’s speech is the “game-changing” new face of modern feminism. To give credit where credit is due, let’s look at what Watson did right…
The Good:
1. She addresses and challenges the “dirtiness” of the word “feminist”
I was so happy to hear Emma Watson address the misconceptions of the word “feminist”. She provides the correct definition, and fights back against its association with misandry, or “man-hating”. Unfortunately, feminism has come to be associated with being anti-men and female superiority in popular culture, which is only worsened when high-profile people like Shailene Woodley reject feminism. Feminism is not about female superiority. It is about equality of the sexes. Thanks for clearing the air, Em.
2. She acknowledges that feminism is not just a women’s issue
This is a part of feminism that even card-carrying feminists should spend more time thinking about. It is easy to see gender roles as a concept that only oppresses women, but Watson is correct in her assertion that conventional gender roles have negative effects on both men and women.
3. She honestly discusses the backlash felt by modern feminists
I don’t know about y’all, but I definitely identified with Watson’s experiences as a young girl. She reccounts being marked as “bossy” for her desire to direct school plays and make her own decisions. In her speech she says “Apparently I am among the ranks of women whose expressions are seen as too strong, too aggressive, isolating… unattractive, even”, which is a sentiment felt by many women who identify as feminists.
4. She makes feminism more socially acceptable, and has helped inspire a new generation of feminists
Whether you love it or hate it, the HeForShe campaign is nothing if not star-studded and glitzy. Dozens of celebrities have shown their support for Watson and her campaign, which helps to cast feminism in a more mainstream, socially-acceptable light. By far the speech’s greatest accomplishment, Watson has helped to create a new and younger generation of feminists who don’t fear the word and feel that they can voice their beliefs.
And onto the bad:
1. HeForShe epitomizes “feminism-lite”
There is no way around it—Watson’s speech, and the whole concept of HeForShe in general is a very soft, male-centric take on feminism. It is “tip-toeing” feminism, afraid to do or say anything polemic or political. While the campaign is most likely just trying to appeal to as wide of a demographic as possible, I think it is important to consider why HeForShe is so gentle in its mission. Instead of going out into the world, and spending money to make changes, HeForShe encourages men to take—and then tweet—a commitment pledge that vaguely asks men to “take action against all forms of violence and discrimination faced by women and girls”. What does that mean exactly? Your guess is as good as mine.
2. Watson’s speech puts the ball in men’s court
This is perhaps, in my opinion, her speech’s biggest downfall. Watson claims that “when [men] are free [from gender stereotypes], things will change for women as a natural consequence”. Um, what? She goes on to say that “If men don’t have to be aggressive in order to be accepted women won’t feel compelled to be submissive”. I understand where Watson is coming from, but I think she is mistakenly giving all the power—and responsibility—to men. If we have to wait for the patriarchal gender norms that we have lived with for thousands of years to change spontaneously before women are seen as equals, then I’m afraid we’ll be waiting for a while.