“You might be thinking – ‘Who is this Harry Potter girl? And what is she doing speaking at the UN?’ And it’s a really good question. All I know is that I care about this problem and I want to make it better.”
This weekend, actress Emma Watson made her first big speech at the United Nations headquarters in New York to launch the HeForShe Campaign – a campaign calling on men to speak up for oppressed women and join the movement towards gaining gender quality worldwide.
Watson, who recently became the UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, used her speech at the UN to talk about “feminism” and the negative stigma that has begun to develop around the term. She expressed her sorrow at the fact that, today, more and more women are choosing not to identify themselves a “feminist” as the word has become associated with “men-hating”. Watson questions where this association has come from and explains that the standard definition of feminism is nothing more than “the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities”. And who doesn’t want to be associated with fighting for that?
“I decided that I was a feminist and this seemed uncomplicated to me. But my recent research has shown me that ‘feminism’ has become an unpopular word. Why has the word become such an uncomfortable one?”
She goes on to talk about a speech made by Hilary Clinton in 1997 in Beijing about women’s rights, explaining that many of the things she wanted to change back then still ring true today. However, Watson says that was struck her the most about that speech was that less than 30% of the audience were male.
“How can we affect change in the world when only half of it is invited or feel welcome to participate in the conversation? Men – I would like to take this opportunity to extend your formal invitation. Gender equality is your issue too.”
As the first of it’s kind at the UN, the HeForShe Campaign aims to galvanize as many men and boys as possible to be advocates for change. Watson called on men to take up this mantle, so that their wives, daughters and sisters can be free from prejudice, but also so that their sons and brothers can have the permission to be vulnerable and human.
“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.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTG1zcEJmxY
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[…] media exploded over the well-articulated and thoughtful speech given by Emma Watson at the United Nations earlier this year. Her debut appearance at the U.N. saw the Harry Potter star launch the HeForShe […]