You may know Emma Watson as the famous actress she is, but do you know her as a woman activist in today's society? Twenty-eight year old Watson was born on April 15, 1990 in Paris, France to mother, Jaqueline Luesby and father, Chris Watson. Five years after Watson was born her family decided to move to Oxfordshire, England where her father was born. Although modeling and acting is a big part of Watson's life, so is her education.
Emma Watson studied at various school from Lynams in 1995 to Dragon in 1998. In 2003 she was enrolled in an all girls private school named Headington. She also attended Brown University in 2012 where she earned her bachelors degree in English Literature.
As education is an important part of Emma Watson's life, she decided to promote how important education is for women. She went to Bangladesh and Zambia to promote the importance of women being educated and having a good education. In July 2014 Watson was named a UN Women Goodwill ambassador and later that year in September she gave a speech in New York City #HeForShe Campaign. This campaign was for men to advocate gender equalities and to end the idea of "men-hating".
She recently had a modeling picture in Vanity Fair Magazine where her breasts were some what showing. Of course critics had to jump all over this picture since she calls herself a feminist. She stated to the magazine "Feminism is about giving women choice; feminism is not a stick with which to beat other women. It's about freedom, it's about liberation, it's about equality. I really don't know why my tits have anything to do with it. It's very confusing" (Her Campus).
This explanation that Watson gave to the critic of Vanity Fair Magazine really hit home for me. Just because you call yourself a feminist and identify with it does not mean that you're going to cover yourself up and keep your lady parts a secret. Why should it matter if Emma Watson or any other female for that matter, wants to show off their "tits"? We should not teach women of today's society to cover themselves up just because we have boobs. We should teach one another to be confident in our bodies and be proud of who we are.
As for the #HeForShe Campaign, it is still something that still continues to go on today. It's goal is to continue to inform people that men and women are not being treated equal and to not stop this campaign until all genders are equal. It invites all genders to stand together and promote the importance of having gender equality in today's society. After all it IS 2018!
Works Cited:
“Emma Watson.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Sept. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Watson.
“UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson.” UN Women, www.unwomen.org/en/partnerships/goodwill-ambassadors/emma-watson.
Haim, Noa Ben. “Feminist Activist First, Actress Second: Emma Watson.” Her Campus, 20 Mar. 2017, 11:12 pm, www.hercampus.com/school/harvard/feminist-activist-first-actress-second-emma-watson.
“Emma Watson Biography: Success Story of Actress, Model, and Activist.” Astrum People, 2018, astrumpeople.com/emma-watson-biography/.
I am very interested to see the ways Emma Watson pairs her career in acting with her advocacy for women's education, especially since she is a figure who was on the public radar at a young age. Education is essential for helping people claim and stand up for their identities.
ReplyDeleteSimilarly, speaking out against mistaken ideas of what feminism is can be equally as important, so it is good to hear her assert that feminism is about personal choice, not what others would choose for you.
I liked everything that was said about Emma Watson in this blog post. I think it's very interesting that she speaks out about feminism and the stereotypes that are followed by this concept. Also education is a big part of all of our lives so for her to advocate strongly for it is very admirable. The #HeForShe movement is also very interesting because it isn't just advocating for one gender but for all genders and to make everyone more aware.
ReplyDeleteI think Emma Watson is a terrific actress. I grew up watching her in the Harry Potter movies and seeing her become a feminist role model makes me so happy. I think she is wonderful, smart, and kind. She is trying to show the world that feminist is not a bad word. I have actually read her HeForShe speech and I enjoyed it a lot. I think she was a great choice as a Warrior Women.
ReplyDeleteWho doesn't adore Emma Watson? I mean, come on! I love seeing celebrities get involved with various movements. Unfortunately, sometimes particular social movements do not get the attention that they so much deserve until they are supported by a celebrity. I really enjoy seeing an intelligent and talented individual such as Emma Watson doing what she can to empower everyone, everywhere.
ReplyDeleteEmma Watson has always been a role model of mine. I think you wrote about her in a way that really illustrated all that she has done for women, and her activists rights in general. I was not aware of her #HeForShe campaign so that you for informing me, I will definitely be looking into that more!
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