Emma Watson

UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson co-hosts a special event organized by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women in support of their HeForShe campaign.UN Photo/Mark Garten (https://news.un.org/en/story/2016/09/539532-un-women-launches-report-spotlighting-gender-equality-global-universities)Feminism can be misinterpreted as man-hating and not seen as an effort to bring gender equality into society. Emma Watson is working to change society's definition of feminism, and is bringing more and more people into the fight for equality. Best known for her roles in the Harry Potter movies, Watson is a British actress who is also an advocate for women's rights. Since July 2014, she has been an advocate for the UN's HeForShe campaign to end gender inequality and change the way the world views feminism (Powell). She spoke at the UN on September 20, 2014 to get more males involved in the efforts to change the futures of women and girls ("It's about freedom"). Her drive for equality has led her to make further efforts to change people's lives around the world. She met with young women in Malawi to help end childhood marriage in 2016 ("Press Release"). Watson has also been leaving feminist books in London subways to get the message of equality into the world (Powell). Emma Watson's determination to change the meaning of feminism in society and her passion for increasing the number of supporters make her a hero.

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson & Rupert Grint (left to right) at the world premiere of Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 2 in London, EnglandIlona Higgins [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)]

Watson is determined to change the way people view feminism in society so people can further understand the importance of women's rights. The word feminism can be misunderstood in society as the favor of women over men, but Watson wants to change this: "This isn't girls are better than boys, boys are better than girls, this is just everyone deserves a fair chance at whatever it is" (Breznican). Redefining the meaning of feminism is bringing more people into the project for gender equality. There is an oversight when it comes to the word feminism, and Watson is determined to take away the misunderstanding and encourage more people to join in the fight. A misinterpretation is especially prominent in males, and while working with the UN, Watson wants "...to try and galvanize as many men and boys as possible to be advocates for change. And we don't just want to talk about it. We want to try and make sure that it's tangible" ("It's about freedom."). The more people that join in the fight for equality, the larger the impact on society will be. Watson is driven to increase the number of advocates involved in the change. Her strong-will and perseverance is changing the way the general public views women's rights, and is enlarging the number of advocates involved in the feminist movement.

Watson with women in Malawi. (http://www.un.org)

Getting more people, especially men, involved in feminism is Watson's passion, and she is not afraid to speak out to show the importance of gender equality. Without men in the fight for gender equality, the movement would not get as far as it would with more support. Watson knows this, and she wants to encourage males to join in the effort for women's rights and the elimination of stereotypes: "Men, I would like to take this opportunity to extend your formal invitation. Gender equality is your issue too.... We don't often talk about men being imprisoned by gender stereotypes, but I can see that they are, and that when they are free, things will change for women as a natural consequence...." ("It's about freedom."). Showing that this issue not only involves women, but also men, inspires other people to get on board with the women's rights movement. She wants to expose the issue of gender inequality to society, and she is passionate about getting out the word to more and more people. In 2016, Watson "visited Malawi to shine a global spotlight on the need to end child marriage. She met with traditional chiefs and girls who have returned to school after having marriages annulled" ("Press Release"). By showing the world problems like the ones in Malawi dealing with the futures of young women, more people will become aware of issues dealing with gender inequality. In some places, people do not have as many opportunities or as much representation because of their gender. Exposing these issues is important for people to understand the issues in other parts of the world so they can get involved and make a change. Watson is also leaving feminist books, such as Mom and Me and Mom by Maya Angelou, around London and New York subways in the "hope to engage more people with the project" (Powell). Each book has a note to join her online feminist book club, helping to shed light on other people's stories and bring more people into the fight for women's rights. Watson is passionate about getting more people involved in ending gender stereotypes and fighting for women's rights.

Emma Watson's determination and her passion for expanding the women's rights movement, changing stereotypes, and redefining feminism make her an inspiration. She has made impactful efforts to increase awareness of gender inequality in the world, and because of this, many people have joined the fight for equality. Watson and the foundation HeForShe have "signed up fathers who want to raise empowered daughters; leaders who know their societies will be stronger when there are as many women in parliament and in business as men; and ordinary people who are fed up with violence and discrimination against women - and want to be part of a global force for change" ("UN Women Launches Next Phase."). By showing the world that feminism is not only about women, but also about men, Watson is an inspiration to those who are affected by gender inequality in their everyday lives. She encourages more people to stand up for their rights and to dismiss gender stereotypes. Because of Watson's efforts, feminism is less seen as man-hating, and there is more equality in society, which makes her a hero.

Works Cited

Breznican, Anthony. ¨Why Emma Watson finds difficulty with the word "feminism."

Entertainment Weekly, February 24, 2017, http://ew.com/movies/2017/02/24/emma-watson-feminism-beauty-beast/.

"It's about freedom." Junior Scholastic/Current Events, 23 Nov. 2015, p. S16. Student

Resources in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A436543265/SUIC?u=powa9245&xid=b364b67c. Accessed 28 Apr. 2017.

Powell, Ellen. "Why is Emma Watson leaving books on London subways?" Christian Science

Monitor, 3 Nov. 2016. Student Resources in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A468761841/SUIC?u=powa9245&xid=24ceb5f4. Accessed 27 Apr. 2017.

"Press release: UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson shines spotlight on need to end

child marriages." UN Women, Oisika Chakrabarti, Zina Alam, October 10, 2016,

http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2016/10/press-release-emma-watson-shines-spotlight-on-need-to-end-child-marriages.

"UN Women Launches Next Phase in 'Heforshe' Campaign At Davos Forum." Africa News

Service, 26 Jan. 2015. Student Resources in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A398814301/SUIC?u=powa9245&xid=5fe3362e. Accessed 28 Apr. 2017.