Emma Watson HeForShe Campaign

In this speech, Emma Watson talks about how the word 'feminist' has become a somewhat dirty word and not something people want to identify with. She puts this down to misunderstanding of what it stands for and goes onto discuss that it is a movement for men just as much as for women. The aim of HeForShe is to achieve gender equality by actively making change, rather than just speaking about it. I think it's important to remember that Watson is acknowledging her own privilege and is considering the inequality that is experienced globally for both genders.


In this interview Watson talks more in depth about her views on feminism and the HeForShe campaign.
They discuss what people can actually do to show their support of the movement because although men and women are on board with the idea, they aren't really sure what to do with it. One thing would be actually making a commitment on their website, but on a more social level, Watson says that "we just want to be included".

• (speaking about feminism) "people associate it with man hating"
• "people have come back to what the actual definition means.."
• "men think it's only for women..." but "... if you stand for equality you are a feminist"
• "it starts young, with girls and boys being told what they have to be"
• "we don't acknowledge how much pressure we put on men to conform to a certain perception of masculinity"
• "the minute I stepped up and spoke about women's rights, I was immediately threatened, within 12 hours"
• "both should be free to be sensitive and strong"
• "how are you not recognising the potential of that girl? why can't you see what she could bring to the table?"
• "social media connects people in the world to a community that they might not be able to access around them and it helps them think bigger"
• "femininity needs to be embraced whether it be found in a man, woman or gender non conforming person"
• "there's a lack of a sense of urgency around this issue"