emma watson biography feminism

9 Times Emma Watson Lived And Breathed Feminism

Parents editor at HuffPost UK

Emma Watson sparked fierce debate around feminism after starring in a photo shoot for Vanity Fair with the underside of her breasts exposed.

The UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, who launched the #HeForShe movement calling on men to join women in the fight for gender equality and whose break-out role was sassy and smart Hermione Grainger in Harry Potter, was criticised for so-called feminist double standards.

Journalist Julia Hartley-Brewer led the charge, tweeting: “Feminism, feminism... gender wage gap... why oh why am I not taken seriously... feminism... oh, and here are my tits!” A heated debate ensued, with Watson’s fans and critics going head-to-head around the age-old debate of female nudity and feminism.

Watson defended the photo over the weekend, saying that feminism is all about giving women a ‘choice’. Ever our feminist hero, here are nine moments where she’s proven to be a fierce fighter for gender equality.

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Emma Watson

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• All American Speakers - Emma Watson
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• Emma Watson - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Emma Watson (born April 15, 1990, Paris , France) is a British actress and activist who was perhaps best known for playing the young wizard Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films . She also garnered attention as a spokesperson for women’s equality.

Watson was born in Paris to British parents who divorced when she was young. She and her brother went to live with their mother in Oxfordshire , England. While a child, Watson decided she wanted to be an actress. Besides attending school, she took acting and singing classes. She also appeared in several school plays.

Watson began acting in earnest in 1999 after she auditioned for a part in the film adaptation of J.K. Rowling ’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001). She won the role of smart and logical Hermione, one of Harry Potter’s best friends. The film was a box-office hit, and Watson reprised her role in the franchise’s other movies: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010), and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011).

After the Potter films ended, Watson began to look for more mature roles. Her first major part was in the drama The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), in which she played a high-school senior who becomes friends with a clinically depressed freshman. She subsequently appeared in the crime drama The Bling Ring (2013), the historical thriller The Colony (also known as Colonia ; 2015), and the sci-fi thriller The Circle (2017). These films had limited success at the box-office, but Watson had another blockbuster hit with the live-action Disney adaptation (2017) of Beauty and the Beast . In 2019 she appeared as Meg March in Greta Gerwig ’s acclaimed Little Women , which was based on Louisa May Alcott ’s classic children’s book .

Meanwhile, in the midst of her acting career, Watson pursued a college degree. In 2009 she began attending Brown University in Providence , Rhode Island. She took time off as needed for filming, and she also studied for a year at the University of Oxford . Watson graduated from Brown in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in English literature . That year she was named a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador. She was an advocate for women’s rights and gender equality . From 2016 to 2020 Watson ran an online feminist book club , Our Shared Shelf, to read and discuss books by and about women.

Biography Online

Emma Watson Biography

She studied at Brown University (US) and Worcester College, Oxford University, graduating with a BA in English literature in 2014.

Emma Watson was born in Paris to English parents. From the age of five, she was brought up in Oxfordshire and London. Watson attended the Stagecoach Theatre Arts. She also was a student at the Dragon School, Oxford and later Headington School. She appeared in several amateur school productions.

In addition, she spent much time practising drama and learning the skills of an actress.

Harry Potter film series

The first instalment of the series was released in 2001, to popular and critical acclaim. Watson’s performance of Hermione was praised by critics, and the film went on to become the highest-grossing film of 2001.

In 2002, Watson again starred in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

During the run of Harry Potter films, Watson received many awards for her acting, such as the National Movie Award (2007), several Otto awards and by 2010 she was named as Hollywood’s highest-paid female stars. (earning £19 million in 2009)

The final two books Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows were filmed from 2008 to 2010, with the final film in the series Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 released in July 2011.

It was the cumulation of one of the most successful film series in history and cemented Watson’s role as a leading female, young actor.

Post Harry Potter

Watson was gifted academically, achieving eight A* and two A at GCSE. These results were achieved despite long hours in working on the Harry Potter films. As the Harry Potter franchise came to an end, Watson became keen to break out from her role as Hermione and branch into new endeavours.

Watson continued her film career with new roles in films such as The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) and the Bling Ring (2013). She also featured in an apocalyptic comedy This is the End (2013)

In 2005, Watson began a modelling career, appearing on the front of Teen Vogue. She has also worked as a model for Burberry and Lancome. She also acted as an advisor for People Tree, a fair trade fashion brand. She has committed to promoting vegan and sustainable fashion – that does not damage the environment.

In July 2014, Watson was appointed a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador and later in the year gave an address at the United Nations in New York. Her speech was part of the UN Women Campaign HeForShe which sought to try and involve more men in the campaign for equal rights between men and women. Watson sought to refresh the concept of feminism – to get away from the idea of ‘man-hating’, but include men in the process of greater equality.

“ We want to end gender inequality — and to do this we need everyone to be involved. This is the first campaign of its kind at the UN: we want to try and galvanize as many men and boys as possible to be advocates for change.”

– Emma Watson, Speech at UN

She defined feminism as:

“The belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. It is the theory of the political, economic and social equality of the sexes.”

– Emma Watson

“Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive. Both men and women should feel free to be strong,”

– Emma Watson Speech at UN

The speech garnered widespread international coverage and received widespread praise. However, it also led to anonymous death threats and hate mail, which caused Watson to be afraid, but also more determined to continue her work.

Watson’s beliefs stemmed from her own experiences of growing up. In particular, her disapproval of the media’s attempt to sexualise her life, at aged only 14.

Since this moment, she has participated in many events which have sought to promote women’s rights and women’s political participation. Nobel Laureate, Malala Yousafzai said Watson’s speech was helpful for her to see ‘Feminism’ as something she could identify with, without negative connotations.

In 2016, Watson started a feminist book club. Other recent roles include. Recent film roles include Noah (2014 – where she played Noah’s adopted daughter. She also starred in Regression (2015), Colonia (2015) and The Circle (2017).

Spiritual beliefs

Emma Watson has described herself as a spiritual universalist – preferring a spiritual approach which sees the unity of all main religions and spiritual paths. She does not belong to a particular religion.

I already, before I did [ Noah ], had a sense that I was someone that was more spiritual, than specifically religious. I had a sense that I believed in a higher power, but that I was more of a Universalist, I see that there are these unifying tenets between so many religions.  ( 1 )

Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan . “Biography of Emma Watson”, Oxford,  UK.  www.biographyonline.net.   Published 9 January 2016. Last updated 1 November 2019.

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Emma Watson: The Idea Behind Feminism

Emma watson - who we are.

Emma Watson gives an inspiring speech about challenging gender stereotypes and recognizing the fundamental equality of all men and women.

Transcript:

" My life is a sheer privilege, because my parents didn't love me less because I was born a daughter. When I was eight, I was confused about being called bossy because I wanted to direct the plays we would put on for our parents, but the boys were not. When at 14, I started to be sexualized by certain elements of the media; when at 15, my girlfriends started dropping out of their beloved sports teams because they didn't want to appear muscly; when at 18, my male friends were unable to express their feelings,  I decided that I was a feminist.

"For the record, feminism by definition is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. How can we affect change in the world when only half of it is invited or feel welcomed to participate in the conversation? Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive. Both men and women should feel free to be strong.

"It is time that we all perceive gender on a spectrum instead of two sets of opposing ideals. All that is needed for the forces of evil to triumph is for good men and women to do nothing. If not me, who? If not now, when? If you still hate the word, it is not the word that is important. It is the idea and the ambition behind it. If we stop defining each other by what we are not and start defining ourselves by who we are, we can all be freer."

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Pamela Anderson has it all: beauty, fame and success. So why can’t the most famous blonde find her fairytale ending? Why is Pamela so unlucky in love and what dark secrets lie behind her seemingly glamorous life?

The Many Marriages of Pamela Anderson

See on Instagram

Pamela Anderson had a fairytale look at weddings from a young age. "I'd meet somebody, fall in love, and it would just be very romantic and it would be love at first sight."

But sadly, none of her nine weddings led to that dream relationship for the 56 year old actress.

While she looks to have found peace and calm in her later years, Anderson's previous relationships were fraught with abuse, drugs, and fear.

How many husbands did Pamela have over the years?

Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee (1995-1998, 2008-2010)

The bad-boy of rock, Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee, was the first man to sweep Anderson off her feet. The two stars had a whirlwind relationship that resulted in sons Brandon and Dylan. But what was once a fairytale marriage was also incredibly 'tragic,' ending in Tommy Lee being charged with spousal and child abuse.

While the Baywatch babe refers to Tommy Leed as "the only man I ever really loved was Tommy Lee," the two were not able to make it work.

Anderson and Kid Rock (2001-2003, 2006)

Anderson married the controversial rapper and musician a total of four times, though she knew it was a mistake, "right when I got married."

It looks like there was no love lost, as both have confirmed they never spoke again after the split.

Pamela Anderson and Rick Salomon (2007, 2013-2015)

Rick Salomon made a name for himself as a sometimes actor and poker player. Salomon turned out to have a serious drug addiction which Anderson only discovered when she found his crack pipe in the Christmas tree. Their marraige was annulled but they reconciled in 2013, thought the second marriage was short-lived.

Pamela Anderson and Jon Peters (2020) Kind of...

While it turned out the two never had an official marriage certificate, Anderson did announce her marraige to movie producer Jon Peters. Husband number five didn't last long, just a mere 12 days before the two split.

Pamela Anderson and Dan Hayhurst (2020-2022)

Anderson met her last husband, Dan Hayhurst, when he was the contractor for her house. The marriage survived two years before they went their separate ways.

"You know, it was more like trying to put a family unit back together. But I wasn't really in love. I just was going through the motions and then realizing, I have nothing in common with this person. Like I was putting people in my life to kind of numb some of the pain or be with someone, companionship, but nothing nothing healthy."

Rude Customer Has a Disagreement Over $6 - Teen Employees Have the Perfect Response

Teens Applauded For the Way They Handled This Angry Customer

Working in customer service can be challenging, especially when you’re dealing with rude and demanding clients. That’s particularly true for some teens, who work these jobs for part-time money and are often bullied by adults. Perhaps that’s why people are applauding these teen girls for the way they expertly handled an over-the-top customer.

An Angry Customer

It was a tough day for employees at Keke’s Snow Balls in Texas when an angry woman approached the window. She had placed a pickup order for a snow cone and because of a shift change, the snow cone wasn’t ready. Two days later, the customer came back and demanded a refund of $6.

A girl named Victoria was working the counter and listened to the woman’s complaints. According to Inside Edition , it was immediately clear this woman didn’t want to resolve things in the right way, and was trying to pick a fight. Another employee named Kaeley overheard it all.

“I was just listening in the back and, eventually, I could just hear she’s angry the whole time. So I was like, clearly she just wants to have a problem,” Kaeley recalled to the publication. “And I’m not about that, so I was like, ‘Okay let me just go give her $6 and we can move on, move past this.’ It was $6.”

An Unexpected Turn

At that point, the situation should have been resolved. However, Kaeley noticed the sign outside the window had fallen over during the dispute. So, she opened the window to fix it. That’s when the woman came by, slapped the sign out of the 17-year-old girl’s hand, and called her a derogatory name.

“M’am, please don’t act like that. You’re a grown woman,” Kaeley responded in a video that the restaurant then posted to TikTok . “You’re a grown woman. I’m 17. Get out of here. Don’t come back. Don’t come back. We don’t need your business.”

“I was scared and very confused,” Victoria added. “I wasn’t understanding what was going on.”

A Brilliant Online Reaction

After the owner posted the video online, it went viral and many people reached out to support the girls for their perfect reaction to the customer.

“People were traveling to come and see us from hours away,” the owner, Kyle, told Inside Edition . “We had people reaching out to us on TikTok asking how to tip the girls. We even had people going and leaving Google reviews that haven’t even been to the shop, saying they’re so proud of the girls and how they dealt with it,” he continued.

Kyle explained that he posted the video to remind everyone that the employees behind the counter are people, too. Adults, in particular, should try to remember that oftentimes, these are kids working to save up for cars, school, and other big life steps.

“Mistakes happen, but for you to go up and act like that as an adult, my whole point in uploading that video is to simply remind us all that we need to treat people better,” Kyle added.

"I am proud of the way our supervisor handled the situation," he added in the initial post . "We must strive for better behavior and respect in all interactions. It’s all about just being a kind person and approaching every situation with willingness to come to a good resolution."

We Are All the Same

As Kyle himself said, mistakes happen and no one is perfect. But demanding perfection of others can be a very lonely way to live. Rather than getting upset over an honest mistake and making someone feel bad or yelling at them, lead with grace and understanding. Not only will you help someone else feel respected, but you’ll probably get a better result from the situation, too.

When life doesn’t go our way, it can be easy to overreact or blame someone else. But by remembering that mistakes happen and this too shall pass, we can all live a little more peacefully.

Many of us are in these jobs because we’re trying to provide for our families or ourselves and our futures. Going to work can be hard enough, so remember to thank those who help you in the customer service industry and to tip well when appropriate. After all, we all want to feel appreciated at work.

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40-Year-Old Mother of 3 Goes From Inmate to Princeton Intern

Life can take us down unexpected and scary roads. Sometimes, we don’t know how to get off those roads and begin the climb to a better future. As this mom proved, however, anything is possible with a second chance and a little determination .

A Former Inmate

Woman goes from inmate to Princeton intern.

Mary McCrary is a 40-year-old mother of three who spent three years in prison. According to Good Morning America , she served time at the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center in Nashville for a parole violation following a conviction for aggravated burglary.

McCrary dropped out of high school in Grade 10 and has since successfully pursued her GED, but it wasn’t until prison that she began thinking about further education . She hit a breaking point behind bars and decided it was time to turn her life around.

“When you get to a point where you're tired and don’t even want to live and you're hopeless and you feel useless and worthless, you have a decision to make,” she told the publication.

“I made the decision to use this time to do something different, to change my life, because I didn’t want to keep doing the same things and getting in trouble and ... doing whatever I had to to survive because it gets you in the exact same place.”

So, McCrary enrolled in a coding class as part of the center’s Persevere program, an initiative aimed at helping inmates earn certifications as front-end or full-stack web developers.

“The class alone made you feel like you’re a human being, that I was working towards something, that there is a goal in sight, I am going to accomplish something, and I did,” she added. “That does give you confidence and hope.”

A Life-Changing Opportunity

For the next six months, McCrary earned her certificate in front-end coding. She decided to develop her skills even more by enrolling at Nashville State Community College, which offers a program for inmates.

This past May, McCrary was granted parole, completed her supervision, and earned extra credits toward an associate’s degree. But not even she could anticipate what would happen next: an internship at Princeton.

The nine-week program is meant for formerly incarcerated undergrad students to gain experience and new opportunities, and so far, McCrary is excelling.

“Her dedication to building her future is evident in how she does not shy away from challenges and the unknown,” Bridgett vonHoldt, an associate professor at Princeton and the head of the internship program said. “She is a role model, demonstrating for anyone who thinks such change is impossible that nothing is impossible.”

As for McCrary, she knows this is an incredible opportunity and hopes the internship is the next step toward earning her AA degree back in Nashville.

“This has been life-changing in more ways than one. This is an unbelievable, sometimes overwhelming experience,” she said. “If you look at my past, it's a crazy shamble mess, but look now, look what can happen. Nothing is ever impossible.”

Second Chances

McCrary hopes to be a role model for those who are having a hard time accepting the idea of a brighter future and so far, she certainly is. She’s a great example of how things can get better and you can change your future when you’re willing to take advantage of the opportunities you have — even if they don’t seem like opportunities at the time.

This story is also a needed reminder that everyone deserves a second chance in life and that sometimes, by allowing someone who has messed up the chance to try again, they may surprise you.

No one is perfect, and everyone stumbles. It’s not how hard we fall that truly matters in life; it's how we pick ourselves back up. But it’s also up to us whether we want to be the person who lends someone on the ground a helping hand or if we want to be the guy who just keeps on walking.

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12 of Emma Watson's most powerful quotes about feminism

Hermione would be proud

At a very young age, Emma Watson became something of a feminist icon practically by default when she was cast as the brilliant, inspiring Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films. In the years since hanging up her wand, however, she has joined the fight for gender equality in a more deliberate way.

The actress, who was last seen as Meg March in Greta Gerwig 's star-studded adaptation of Little Women —an early feminist text in itself—has intentionally taken on empowering roles (like her 2017 makeover of Beauty and the Beast's Belle) and promoted feminist literature. In July 2014, Watson was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for U.N. Women; that September, she delivered a rousing speech at the U.N. Headquarters launching the HeForShe campaign, the aim of which is to bring more men into the feminist fold, because gender equality benefits everybody.

Here are 12 of her best quotes about feminism.

"I am from Britain and think it is right that as a woman I am paid the same as my male counterparts. I think it is right that I should be able to make decisions about my own body. I think it is right that women be involved on my behalf in the policies and decision-making of my country. I think it is right that socially I am afforded the same respect as men. But sadly I can say that there is no one country in the world where all women can expect to receive these rights," the actress said in her 2014 U.N. speech. "No country in the world can yet say they have achieved gender equality."

At the heart of HeForShe is the notion that giving women the same rights, respect, and opportunities afforded to men would not be detrimental to men; rather, the removal of the sexist social expectations that come with gender inequality would be freeing and beneficial to everyone.

"Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive. Both men and women should feel free to be strong."

In 2016, she gave an interview in Esquire U.K. where she spoke more about the importance of feminism for men as well as women:

"[Feminism]'s not about us convincing you that gender equality is worth engaging in only because there might be something in it for you, or in it for your sister or your mother. The question is, what's in it for humans?" she told the magazine. "Happier, healthier, more successful children? Being able to take proper paternity leave and see your baby? Being able to talk to someone if you're feeling shit? Actually getting to be yourself? Getting asked out by a woman? Better sex? A marriage that is a true partnership? More diverse and interesting perspectives in art, culture, business, and politics? Getting to crowdsource all the innovation and genius in the world, not just half of it? A highly increased number of safe, confident, and fulfilled people on the planet, particularly women? World peace? Seriously. World peace!"

That interview came at a moment when the conversation around Hollywood gender inequality, and specifically the gender pay gap, had exploded —in part because the Sony hack had revealed detailed evidence of exactly how much less the studio's female employees, and female stars , were making than their male counterparts.

"We are not supposed to talk about money, because people will think you're 'difficult' or a 'diva,'" Watson told Esquire . "But there's a willingness now to be like, 'Fine. Call me a 'diva,' call me a feminazi,' call me 'difficult,' call me a 'First World feminist,' call me whatever you want; it's not going to stop me from trying to do the right thing and make sure that the right thing happens.' Because it doesn't just affect me, it affects all the other women who are in this with me, and it affects all the other men who are in this with me, too."

In December 2014, Watson appeared on the cover of Elle U.K. as "The Fresh Face of Feminism." In that interview , she spoke about what it means to preach feminism.

"Here's what I think. Feminism is not here to dictate to you. It's not prescriptive, it's not dogmatic. All we are here to do is give you a choice."

"We want to empower women to do exactly what they want, to be true to themselves, to have the opportunities to develop. Women should feel free. There is no typical feminist, there is nothing anywhere that says you have to meet a certain [set of] criteria."

In September 2016, the actress lent her voice to a short film, Hurdles , narrating over footage of female athletes:

"Women and girls have always faced hurdles. But that's never stopped us. We've sacrificed, fought, campaigned, succeeded, been knocked back, and succeeded again. In a race for justice, we've leapt over countless obstacles to win our rights."

As much as Watson has been lauded for her activism, she has been attacked and threatened as well. In early 2017, she told Elle that her critics haven't discouraged her, but only inspired her to fight harder—and more creatively:

"Feminism can be humorous, and we all have a different way of approaching that. I often wonder what mischief I can make to spread the word in a playful way. You can't take everything in life seriously, can you?"

Six years after playing Hermione for the last time, Watson played another intelligent, beloved heroine. In a 2017 cover story , she told EW about the fierce feminist makeover she and director Bill Condon gave Beauty and the Beast's (already relatively empowered) Belle.

"If I asked a young boy what superhero they looked up to, I feel a lot fewer would say a female one or would ever use an example of a female one, than in reverse, which is a shame. We need to live in a culture that values and respects and looks up to and idolizes women as much as men."

"This isn't just, 'girls are better than boys, boys are better than girls.' This is just, 'everyone deserves a fair chance.'"

During the promotion of Beauty and the Beast , Watson posed for Vanity Fair in an artful photo in which she wore a sheer top and a capelet that exposed her breasts. The photograph received significant backlash from critics who thought her choice to show off her body was at odds with her feminism. She addressed the controversy surrounding the image with a clarification of what it means to be a feminist: "Feminism is about giving women choice. Feminism is not a stick with which to beat other women with. It's about freedom. It's about liberation. It's about equality," she said. "I really don't know what my tits have to do with it."

While Watson has spoken at length, for years, across platforms, to reach as broad of an audience as she can to spread the word that feminism is not a dirty word and that gender equality benefits everyone, she perhaps summed it up best in a brief line she threw out during a Facebook chat on International Women's Day in 2015:

"If you stand for equality, then you're a feminist. Sorry to tell you."

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The actress and founder of gender equality initiative  HeForShe , who covers the March issue of Elle  UK , tells the magazine : "I need to see and do a bit more first. I'm no expert, and when people push me into a corner of ‘here's Emma Watson to lecture you on feminism’, it's uncomfortable because I am aware I have a long way to go. I am not sure I deserve all the respect I get yet, but I'm working on it."

Emma Watson to U.N.: Women and minorities' safety is 'a right and not a privilege'

And while Watson — who is the first to admit her privilege — continues to negotiate what her feminism looks like, who it centers and how it challenges (or reinforces) intersectional oppressions, she's also learning to deal with the pressures of working out that learning in a public space.

"There is a level of criticism that comes with being an actress and a public figure, which I expect," says the Beauty and the Beast star, "but once you take a stance on something like feminism, that's a completely different ball game."

"It really toughened me up," she says of the criticism she's received.

But, at the same time, Watson rightfully acknowledges the mission isn’t about her. The real goal? "Let’s see what we can do to ‘move the needle’ and make a difference."

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bell hooks and Emma Watson talk about why feminism should be fun

by Victoria M. Massie

In a recent interview for Paper magazine’s “Girl Crush” series, feminist author bell hooks and actress Emma Watson show that being a feminist doesn’t mean you have to be 100 percent serious at every single moment.

In addition to revealing that they’re big fans of each other’s work, hooks and Watson talk about their experiences with feminism and letting go of stereotypes, especially the one that feminism can’t be fun.

Watson said hooks became her “girl crush” after reading hooks’s work while also enjoying her sense of humor in videos of her talks at the New School in 2014.

Embracing humor may seem like a small thing, but hooks uses Watson’s observation to expand on why that perception is so inaccurate to the work of feminism:

hooks: That’s a pretty big stereotype about feminists, that we’re not fun, that we don’t have a sense of humor and that everything is so serious and politically correct. Humor is essential to working with difficult subjects: race, gender, class, sexuality. If you can’t laugh at yourself and be with others in laughter, you really cannot create meaningful social change.

In fact, for hooks, fun is necessary for feminists to have a well-balanced life:

Sometimes it’s hard to recruit people to forms of activism for justice and ending domination because they think that there won’t be any time left for fun. Everyone needs to have a balanced life. Being balanced is crucial, because it helps us not to over-extend or to try to live up to other people’s expectations in ways that leave you feeling empty.

You don’t have to be a perfectionist to be a feminist

As two major public figures, hooks and Watson are well aware of public scrutiny, especially in the age of social media. They are always in the public eye, but they use that to discuss why being the perfect feminist isn’t necessarily possible.

Watson has used public scrutiny to hold herself accountable to being the best feminist she can be while also making space for her own growth:

Yeah, I feel I have to be quite vigilant. It’s made me sad at times. I feel that fear of am I looking at this from all of the angles, how can this be interpreted, how can it be taken out of context? But I do have a lot to learn and I should be wary.

And hooks’s experience with having her words misinterpreted on social media has made her become less attached to treating feminism like an ideal:

The New School conversations catapulted me into social media in a way. It was both on one hand exciting but on the other hand you’re more subject to people misinterpreting what you say. And that was something that I had to accept. In a way, especially for females, too, you have to get over any kind of attachment to perfectionism. Or to being liked by everybody all the time, or understood by everybody all the time.

For hooks and Watson, feminism is something you grow into. And the best part about being a feminist is knowing that feminism isn’t meant to be one size fits all.

Read the full Paper interview here .

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UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson

British actor Emma Watson was appointed UN Women Goodwill Ambassador in July 2014. The accomplished actor, humanitarian and recent graduate of Brown University will dedicate her efforts towards the empowerment of young women and will serve as an advocate for UN Women’s HeForShe campaign in promoting gender equality.

At just 24 years of age, Emma has already been involved in the promotion of girls’ education for several years and previously visited Bangladesh and Zambia as part of her humanitarian efforts. She has worked to promote fair trade and organic clothing and served as an ambassador for Camfed International, a movement to educate girls in rural Africa.

“Being asked to serve as UN Women’s Goodwill Ambassador is truly humbling,” said Emma. “The chance to make a real difference is not an opportunity that everyone is given and is one I have no intention of taking lightly. Women’s rights are something so inextricably linked with who I am, so deeply personal and rooted in my life that I can’t imagine an opportunity more exciting. I still have so much to learn, but as I progress I hope to bring more of my individual knowledge, experience and awareness to this role.”

About Emma Watson

Emma is best known for her role as the iconic character of Hermione Granger in the globally successful “Harry Potter” films. Her performance in the first film of the series, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” won her a Young Artist Award for Best Leading Young Actor.

Since the completion of the eight-film series, Emma has shown her versatility as a performer with her first screen roles, including the 2011 Golden Globe–nominated “My Week with Marilyn” and the 2012 award-winning coming-of-age film “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” for which Emma picked up the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Dramatic Movie Actor and Best Supporting Actor Award at the San Diego Film Critics Society Awards for her role.

Emma was most recently seen in “The Bling Ring,” the apocalypse comedy “This is the End,” and the epic biblical tale, “Noah.” Her upcoming projects include “Regression” opposite Ethan Hawke and the film adaptation of “The Queen of the Tearling.”

In 2012 Emma was honoured with the Calvin Klein Emerging Star Award at the ELLE Women in Hollywood Awards, and in 2013 she was awarded both the Trailblazer Award at the MTV Movie Awards and the GQ Woman of the Year Award.

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Emma watson: gender equality is your issue too.

UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson delivered a powerful speech at a special event in New York to kick-start the HeforShe campaign, a dynamic solidarity movement for gender equality. More

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Emma Watson Addresses Her White Privilege and ‘White Feminism’ in Letter to Her Book Club

“I didn’t know to ask these questions.”

Emma Watson has championed gender equality throughout her career, most notably in 2015 when she made feminism the focal point of a speech she delivered the U.N. headquarters which went viral. “This isn’t just, ‘girls are better than boys, boys are better than girls,’” she said, as Entertainment Weekly reported at the time. “This is just, ‘everyone deserves a fair chance.’” Feminism also played a role in her depiction of Belle in last year’s Beauty and the Beast, which earned feminist icon Gloria Steinem’s seal of approval , with Watson, for one, urging that her character wear sensible shoes. Watson has also made feminism the underlying current of her book club, Our Shared Shelf. But Watson’s feminism has been a work in progress throughout, as she acknowledged in a recent letter to her book club on Good Reads .

In the letter, which introduces the club’s first read of 2018, Reni Eddo-Lodge ‘s Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race, she addresses her white privilege and “white feminism,” writing, “When I gave my UN speech in 2015, so much of what I said was about the idea that “being a feminist is simple!” Easy! No problem! I have since learned that being a feminist is more than a single choice or decision. It’s an interrogation of self. Every time I think I’ve peeled all the layers, there’s another layer to peel. But, I also understand that the most difficult journeys are often the most worthwhile. And that this process cannot be done at anyone else’s pace or speed. When I heard myself being called a ‘white feminist’ I didn’t understand (I suppose I proved their case in point). What was the need to define me — or anyone else for that matter — as a feminist by race? What did this mean? Was I being called racist? Was the feminist movement more fractured than I had understood? I began…panicking.”

Watson used that moment as a learning opportunity, she says. “It would have been more useful to spend the time asking myself questions like: What are the ways I have benefited from being white? In what ways do I support and uphold a system that is structurally racist? How do my race, class and gender affect my perspective? There seemed to be many types of feminists and feminism. But instead of seeing these differences as divisive, I could have asked whether defining them was actually empowering and bringing about better understanding. But I didn’t know to ask these questions.”

She is now encouraging her followers to do the same. “Everyone has their own journey, and it may not always be easy, but what I can promise is that you’ll meet some extremely cool people that you will REALLY love and respect along the way that will walk this path with you,” she writes. “You’re not alone. And even if you are, in a particular moment…remember you come from a long line of feminists who did this work, in the outside world but also inside themselves.”

Related: Emma Roberts Wants You to Read More, and She Has the Book Club To Make You Do It

Emma Watson's 2014 Speech on Gender Equality

Celebrity Feminism, Privilege, and the United Nations' HeForShe Movement

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On Sep. 20, 2014, British actress and Goodwill Ambassador for U.N. Women Emma Watson gave a smart, important, and moving speech about gender inequality and how to fight it. In doing so, she launched the HeForShe initiative, which aims to get men and boys to join the feminist fight for gender equality . In the speech, Watson made the important point that in order for gender equality to be achieved, harmful and destructive stereotypes of masculinity and behavioral expectations for boys and men have got to change .

Emma Watson is a British actress and model born in 1990, who is best known for her 10-year stint as Hermione Granger in the eight "Harry Potter" movies. Born in Paris, France to a pair of now-divorced British lawyers, she made a reported $60 million for playing Granger in the eight Harry Potter films.

Watson began taking acting classes at six years of age and was selected for the "Harry Potter" cast in 2001 at age nine. She attended the Dragon School in Oxford, and then the Headington private girls' school. Eventually, she received a bachelor's degree in English literature at Brown University in the United States.

Watson has been actively involved in humanitarian causes for several years, working to promote fair trade and organic clothing, and as an ambassador for CAMFED International, a movement to educate girls in rural Africa.

Celebrity Feminism

Watson is one of several women in the arts who have leveraged their high profile status to bring women's rights issues to the public eye. The list includes Jennifer Lawrence, Patricia Arquette, Rose McGowan, Annie Lennox, Beyonce, Carmen Maura, Taylor Swift, Lena Dunham, Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson, Lady Gaga, and Shailene Woodley, although some have refused to self-identify as "feminists."

These women have been both celebrated and criticized for the positions they have taken; the term "celebrity feminist" is sometimes used to denigrate their credentials or question their authenticity, but there is no doubt that their championships of different causes have shed public light into myriad issues.

The U.N. and HeForShe

In 2014, Watson was named a U.N. Women Goodwill Ambassador by the United Nations, a program that actively involves prominent personalities in the fields of arts and sports to promote U.N. programs. Her role is to serve as an advocate for U.N. Women's gender equality campaign known as HeForShe.

HeForShe , led by the U.N.'s Elizabeth Nyamayaro and under the direction of Sima Bahous, is a program dedicated to improving the status of women and inviting men and boys around the world to stand in solidarity with women and girls as they make that make gender equality a reality.

The speech at the United Nations was part of her official role as U.N. Women Goodwill Ambassador. Below is the full transcript of her 13-minute speech; after that is a discussion of the speech's reception.

Emma Watson's Speech at the U.N.

Today we are launching a campaign called HeForShe. I am reaching out to you because we need your help. We want to end gender inequality, and to do this, we need everyone involved. This is the first campaign of its kind at the UN. We want to try to mobilize 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.

I was appointed as Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women six months ago. And, the more I spoke about feminism, the more I realized that fighting for women’s rights has too often become synonymous with man-hating. If there is one thing I know for certain, it is that this has to stop.

For the record, feminism by definition is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. It is the theory of political, economic and social equality of the sexes.

I started questioning gender-based assumptions a long time ago. When I was 8, I was confused for being called bossy because I wanted to direct the plays that we would put on for our parents, but the boys were not. When at 14, I started to be sexualized by certain elements of the media. When at 15, my girlfriends started dropping out of sports teams because they didn’t want to appear muscly. When at 18, my male friends were unable to express their feelings.

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. Women are choosing not to identify as feminists. Apparently, I’m among the ranks of women whose expressions are seen as too strong, too aggressive, isolating, and anti-men. Unattractive, even.

Why has the word become such an uncomfortable one? I am from Britain, and I think it is right I am paid the same as my male counterparts. I think it is right that I should be able to make decisions about my own body. I think it is right that women be involved on my behalf in the policies and decisions that will affect my life. I think it is right that socially, I am afforded the same respect as men.

But sadly, I can say that there is no one country in the world where all women can expect to see these rights. No country in the world can yet say that they achieved gender equality. These rights, I consider to be human rights but I am one of the lucky ones. My life is a sheer privilege because my parents didn’t love me less because I was born a daughter. My school did not limit me because I was a girl. My mentors didn’t assume I would go less far because I might give birth to a child one day. These influencers were the gender equality ambassadors that made me who I am today. They may not know it, but they are the inadvertent feminists who are changing the world today. And we need more of those.

And if you still hate the word, it is not the word that is important. It’s the idea and the ambition behind it, because not all women have received the same rights I have. In fact, statistically, very few have.

In 1995, Hillary Clinton made a famous speech in Beijing about women’s rights. Sadly, many of the things that she wanted to change are still true today. But what stood out for me the most was that less than thirty percent of the audience were male. How can we effect 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. Because to date, I’ve seen my father’s role as a parent being valued less by society, despite my need of his presence as a child, as much as my mother’s. I’ve seen young men suffering from mental illness, unable to ask for help for fear it would make them less of a man. In fact, in the UK, suicide is the biggest killer of men between 20 to 49, eclipsing road accidents, cancer and coronary heart disease. I’ve seen men made fragile and insecure by a distorted sense of what constitutes male success. Men don’t have the benefits of equality, either.

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. If men don’t have to be aggressive in order to be accepted, women won’t feel compelled to be submissive. Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive. Both men and women should feel free to be strong. It is time that we all perceive gender on a spectrum, instead of two sets of opposing ideals. If we stop defining each other by what we are not, and start defining ourselves by who we are, we can all be freer, and this is what HeForShe is about. It’s about freedom.

I want men to take up this mantle so that their daughters, sisters, and mothers can be free from prejudice, but also so that their sons have permission to be vulnerable and human too, reclaim those parts of themselves they abandoned, and in doing so, be a more true and complete version of themselves.

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. I’ve been asking myself the same thing.

All I know is that I care about this problem, and I want to make it better. And, having seen what I’ve seen, and given the chance, I feel it is my responsibility to say something.

Statesman Edmund Burke said, “All that is needed for the forces of evil to triumph is for good men and women to do nothing.”

In my nervousness for this speech and in my moments of doubt, I told myself firmly, “If not me, who? If not now, when?” If you have similar doubts when opportunities are presented to you, I hope those words will be helpful. Because the reality is that if we do nothing, it will take seventy-five years, or for me to be nearly 100 before women can expect to be paid the same as men for the same work. 15.5 million girls will be married in the next 16 years as children. And at current rates it won’t be until 2086 before all rural African girls will be able to receive a secondary education.

If you believe in equality, you might be one of those inadvertent feminists that I spoke of earlier, and for this, I applaud you. We are struggling for a uniting word, but the good news is, we have a uniting movement. It is called HeForShe. I invite you to step forward, to be seen and to ask yourself, “If not me, who? If not now, when?”

Thank you very, very much.

Reception of Emma Watson's Speech

Most of the public reception for Watson's speech has been positive: The speech got a thunderous standing ovation at U.N. headquarters; Joanna Robinson writing in Vanity Fair called the speech " impassioned ;" and Phil Plait writing in Slate called it " stunning ." Some positively compared Watson's speech with Hilary Clinton's speech to the U.N. 20 years earlier.

Other press reports have been less positive. Roxane Gay writing in The Guardian , expressed her frustration that the idea of women asking for the rights that men already have only sells when delivered " in the right package : a particular kind of beauty, fame, and/or self-deprecating brand of humor." Feminism should not be something that needs a seductive marketing campaign, she said.

Julia Zulwer writing in Al Jazeera wondered why the United Nations picked a " foreign, distant figure " to be the representative for the women of the world.

Maria Jose Gámez Fuentes and colleagues argue that the HeForShe movement as expressed in Watson's speech is an innovative attempt to connect with the experiences of many women, without focusing on the trauma. However, the HeForShe movement asks for the activation of action by the people who hold power. That, say the scholars, denies the agency of women as the subjects of violence, inequality, and oppression, instead giving men the ability to restore this lack of agency, to empower the women and offer them freedom. The will to eradicate gender inequality depends on the will of the males, which is not a traditional feminist principle.

The MeToo Movement

However, all of this negative reaction predates the #MeToo movement, and the election of Donald Trump, as of course did Watson's speech. There are some signs that feminists of all stripes and across the world are feeling rejuvenated by the open criticism and in many cases the fall of very powerful men because they abused that power. In March of 2017, Watson met and discussed gender equality issues with bell hooks , a powerful icon of the feminist movement since the 1960s.

As Alice Cornwall puts it, "shared outrage can offer a powerful basis for connection and solidarity that can reach across the differences that might otherwise divide us." And as Emma Watson says, "If not me, who? If not now, when?"

Additional References

• Brady, Anita. " Taking Time between G-String Changes to Educate Ourselves: Sinéad O’Connor, Miley Cyrus, and Celebrity Feminism ." Feminist Media Studies 16.3 (2016): 429-44. Print.
• Cornwall, Andrea. "Taking Off International Development's Straightjacket of Gender." Brown Journal of World Affairs 21.1 (2014-2015): 127-39. Print.
• Gámez Fuentes, María José, Emma Gómez Nicolau, and Rebeca Maseda García. " Celebrities, Gender-Based Violence and Women's Rights: Towards the Transformation of the Framework of Recognition ." Revista Latina de Comunicación Social , 71 (2016): 833-52. Print.
• Gay, Roxane. " Emma Watson? Jennifer Lawrence? These Aren't the Feminists You're Looking For ." The Guardian October 14, 2014. Web, accessed February 16, 2018.
• Hamad, Hannah, and Anthea Taylor. " Introduction: Feminism and Contemporary Celebrity Culture ." Celebrity Studies 6.1 (2015): 124-27. Print.
• Kennelly, Alexah. " #Activism: Identity, Affiliation, and Political Discourse-Making on Twitter ." The Arbutus Review 6.1 (2015). Print.
• MacDonald, Fiona. " Knocking Down Walls in Political Science: In Defense of an Expansionist Feminist Agenda ." Canadian Journal of Political Science 50.2 (2017): 411-26. Print.
• Matos, Julie. "Women's Rights in Public Address: A Feminist Rhetorical Critique." Colloquy 11 (2015): 1-22. Print.
• Plait, Phil. " I Stand with Emma Watson ." Slate September 23, 2014. Web, accessed February 16, 2018.
• Rottenberg, Catherine. " Neoliberal Feminism and the Future of Human Capital ." Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society 42.2 (2017): 329-48. Print.
• Zulver, Julia. " Is Emma Watson the Right Woman For the Job? " Al Jazeera September 24, 2014. Web, accessed February 16, 2018.

Siegel, Tatiana. “ Emma Watson and What Disney Pays Its Modern Princesses .”  The Hollywood Reporter , 20 Dec. 2019.

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The 7 Most Amazing Points Emma Watson Made in Her United Nations Speech

We’re blown away by her powerful words on gender equality.

1. The gender-equality movement is not anti-men : "I was appointed as Goodwill Ambassador for U.N. Women six months ago, and the more I've spoken about feminism, the more I have realized that fighting for women's rights has too often become synonymous with man-hating. If there is one thing I know for certain, it is that this has to stop."

2. Many people misunderstand what feminism really is : "For the record, feminism, by definition, is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. It is the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes. I started questioning gender-based assumptions a long time ago."

3. Expectations about how women should behave are made clear from a young age : "When I was eight, I was confused about being called 'bossy' because I wanted to direct the plays that we would put on for our parents. But the boys were not. When at 14, I started to be sexualized by certain elements of the media. When at 15, my girlfriends started dropping out of their beloved sports teams because they didn't want to appear 'muscle-y.' When at 18, my males friends were unable to express their feelings; I decided that I was a feminist.”

4. Men absolutely must get involved : "I want men to take up this mantle so their daughters, sisters, and mothers can be free from prejudice—but also so their sons have permission to be vulnerable and human, too, and in doing so, be a more true and complete version of themselves."

5. Everyone benefits from a more equal world : "Men, I would like to take this opportunity to extend your formal invitation. … Gender equality is your issue, too. … I've seen young men suffering from mental illness, unable to ask for help, for fear it would make them less of a men—or less of a man. I've seen men made fragile and insecure by a distorted sense of what constitutes male success. Men don't have the benefits of equality, either."

6. Men suffer from gender stereotypes, too : "We don't want to talk about men being imprisoned by gender stereotypes, but I can see that they are. When they are free, things will change for women as a natural consequence. If men don't have to be aggressive, women won't be compelled to be submissive. If men don't need to control, women won't have to be controlled."

7. It's not enough to expect others to effect change : “We are struggling for a uniting word, but the good news is that we have a uniting movement. It is called HeForShe . I am inviting you to step forward, to be seen, and to ask yourself, 'If not me, who? If not now, when?' Thank you very, very much."

You can watch Emma's full speech in the video below:

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Emma Watson’s feminist film career

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Emma Watson has been making headlines since uttering the F-word — feminism — at the U.N. several days ago.

The 24-year-old actress and recently appointed U.N. Women Goodwill Ambassador gave a rousing 13-minute speech about gender equality at U.N. headquarters in New York on Saturday, in which she said, “We don’t just want to talk about [equality], but make sure it is tangible.” (Watch the speech, below.)

The speech is perhaps the most visible of Watson’s advocacy efforts yet — she has also made humanitarian trips to Bangladesh, Zambia and Uruguay — but in a way the actress has been quietly making a case for gender equality much of her professional career, which has been marked by a fiercely independent streak and portrayals of complex female characters.

Watson is of course best known for her portrayal of Hermione Granger, the brave and brilliant young witch in the “Harry Potter” films. Granted, the movies (and the J.K. Rowling books on which they’re based) are named for Harry, not Hermoine — but it’s repeatedly made clear during their adventures together that the Boy Who Lived wouldn’t have done so without the help of his best and brightest friend.

Hermione is the brains of the operation, to be sure, but she’s also a real three-dimensional character: a loyal friend, a bit of a know-it-all, an occasionally insecure teenager and a young woman with a mean right cross , should the circumstances call for it.

Post-”Potter,” Watson’s characters haven’t exactly been role models — which was a conscious decision by an actress setting out to prove there was more to her than the role that made her famous.

Watson’s character in Sophia Coppola’s “The Bling Ring” was a total turnaround from Hermione: She played Nicki Moore, a fame-obsessed teen who helped burgle a string of celebrity homes in the Hollywood Hills.

As Watson told British GQ , “When I read the script and I realized that essentially it was a meditation on fame and what it’s become to our society, I had to do it.” She added, “The character is everything that I felt strongly against — she’s superficial, materialistic, vain, amoral. She’s all of these things and I realized that I hated her. How do you play someone you hate? But I found it really interesting and it gave me a whole new insight into what my job, or my role as an actress, could be.”

Even “Noah,” the Biblical extravaganza in which Watson plays a supporting role, saw her tackle surprisingly feminist concerns. Watson played Ila, a young orphan rescued by Russell Crowe’s Noah and his family. Watson’s character has a crisis of conscience over marrying one of Noah’s sons when she is in fact infertile — which, if it’s not quite leaning in, certainly offered a thoughtful and independent look at the issue of reproductive rights in an era long before the term (or, for that matter, the English language) came into being.

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The Wrangler

Emma Watson: Feminist and Actress

Emma Watson is an actress, women’s rights activist, and UN Ambassador. Photo courtesy of Celeb Bistro

Mabel Ra , Photojournalist March 26, 2017

You probably already know her. A major character in the iconic book to movie series Harry Potter , a strong influence to the women’s rights cause, and an ambitious humanist, Emma Watson is well-known across the world as a passionate actress and activist.

Her most prominent appearance in the media is through her acting career in the successful motion picture series Harry Potter . Cast as spunky and intelligent Hermione, Watson was only ten years old when her job as an actress began. Despite it being her first acting gig, she remained in the same series for ten more years. Most recently, Emma Watson was cast as Belle in the Disney remaking of Beauty and the Beast. Playing the fabled princess Belle brought lots of excitement and anticipation among fans.

Beyond her filming career, Emma Watson is extremely well known as a feminist. Feminism is the cause for gender equality, advocating for social and political rights for women. Being a call for equality, feminism does not mean women superiority over men; rather, it is the elevation of women to men, so everyone is equal. In 2014, she launched her campaign HeForShe. HeForShe encourages both women and men to fight against gender stereotypes and limitation. In places all over the world, due to gender, people are being excluded from opportunities; these include education, participation in politics, and equal pay. As stated by Watson during her UN speech regarding gender equality, “I’ve told myself firmly, ‘If not me, who? If not now, when?” (Bustle). In previous years, she visited Bangladesh and Zambia to promote humanitarianism ideals like fair trade, which supports fair wages to producers.

Along with being a women’s rights activist, Watson serves as UN Women Goodwill Ambassador. A goodwill ambassador is someone who promotes a specific cause; in this case- women’s rights. This position, along with the broader group UN Women, works to empower women, end discrimination against women and girls, and brings security towards women. From being a powerful actress playing characters to being a passionate activist for women’s rights, Emma Watson is an influential and strong individual fighting for a positive change in society. Regarding Emma’s stance on equality, Sydney Rivera  (10) says, “I think it’s really cool because [Emma Watson] is big in the media. [Feminism] is important, because it seems like common sense that women are treated as equals.” Without a doubt, her campaign HeForShe, her contribution to the United Nations, and her films show how Emma Watson is an all-around admirable person.

Mabel Ra is a current senior at Yorba Linda High School. As she approaches her last year at YLHS, she has notably dedicated her time to the Wrangler Newspaper...

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Emma Watson Admits She Was A ‘White Feminist’, And This Is Why Her Distinction Is Important

There have been some serious feminist movements occurring in Hollywood of late. From the #MeToo movement to the iconic ‘Time’s Up’ campaign , that saw millions of dollars being raised in legal funds for women wanting to prosecute their sexual harassers and abusers . However, there is still a lot of criticism over women and men identifying as feminists as hyper-analysis of their actions occurs on the daily.

One woman who has been subjected to a lot of criticism is Emma Watson . Known for her UN ‘He for She’ speech and many iconic movie roles, Watson has placed herself in the position of feminist activist—but many have called her a ‘white feminist’, somewhat of an insult within the community, suggesting that Watson only fights for those that are of the same race and class as her.

All The Looks From The Golden Globes 2018 Red Carpet

Watson recently shared her realisation that she was a ‘white feminist’ but that she’s now making a change. Sharing in her book club, Our Shared Self , Watson described her moment of recognition:

“When I heard myself being called a ‘white feminist’ I didn’t understand (I suppose I proved their case in point). What was the need to define me—or anyone else for that matter—as a feminist by race? What did this mean? Was I being called racist? Was the feminist movement more fractured than I had understood? I began panicking.”

But being the smart cookie that she is, Watson began to brainstorm ways in which she could overcome her ‘white feminism’ to become a better feminist and humanitarian. She shares, again, to her book club:

Native ad body.

Frozen too feminist

Is feminism today our friend or foe?

“It would have been more useful to spend the time asking myself questions like: What are the ways I have benefited from being white? In what ways do I support and uphold a system that is structurally racist? How do my race, class and gender affect my perspective? There seemed to be many types of feminists and feminism. But instead of seeing these differences as divisive, I could have asked whether defining them was actually empowering and bringing about better understanding. But I didn’t know to ask these questions.”

Watson discovering this distinction is immensely important as so many feminists attempt to do good within the feminist movement without realising that they are excluding a huge proportion of female-identifying people. Now, Watson is pairing up with prominent activists and feminists to educate herself on all aspects of feminism, and requesting them to “call me out” and “walk alongside me as I do the work” so she can learn on the job, per se.

Once she reaches the feminist-equivalent of ‘enlightenment’, hopefully she will move from being a ‘white feminist’ to an ‘intersectional feminist’—something, as feminists, we should all be striving for.

The terminology surrounding feminism can be quite confusing, so we’ve broken down some of the biggest questions surrounding intersectional feminism.

What is intersectional feminism?

Intersectionality encompasses more than just the intersections of race and gender. It’s now widely used to illustrate the interplay between any kind of discrimination—taking gender, race, age, class, socioeconomic status, physical or mental ability, gender or sexual identity, religion, or ethnicity into account.

Why is intersectional feminism important?

The reason why intersectionality is essential is because it requires you to look beyond yourself, and people like you. Many feminists have been accused of ‘white feminism’, such as Lena Dunhum and Emma Watson, as they seem to only be lifting up women who are just like themselves—AKA white, able-bodied, privileged women.

Working as an intersectional feminism means you aren’t discriminating against, or excluding in any way, those who may not look like, talk like, or live like you.

Intersectional feminism in Hollywood

Defining who is and who isn’t an intersectional feminist in Hollywood can be a difficult thing to do, as even if that celebrity identifies as one, they may not be putting actions behind their claims.

One of the biggest feminist movements in Hollywood to date is the ‘Time’s Up’ campaign, which has gathered together some of the world’s most celebrated actresses to raise funds for women to take legal action against their sexual abusers or harassers in the workplace. This is a beautiful example of intersectional feminism as the campaigners are providing support for women outside of their socio-economic circles as they promise to cater to those in all industries.

However, there are still critiques of the ‘Time’s Up’ campaign, with some claiming that it’s a shallow attempt to right the wrongs of men in Hollywood that are still enjoying success, wealth and legal freedom—and some of the campaigners are still working alongside powerful men accused of harassment, abuse and rape.

Some of the women donning black for the Golden Globes in support of ‘Time’s Up’ have also been reprimanded over the fact they brought prominent feminists and activists as their dates to the award ceremony. Though this seems like a gorgeous gesture, many of the ‘plus ones’ were black women, triggering a sense of tokenism, as the majority of celebrities who invited them were rich, white women.

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Emma Watson’s Most Feminist Films

Emma Watson may have made headlines a year ago when she spoke at the UN about gender equality , but her political work didn’t end or begin there. In that speech she spoke about the important task of making men and women equal, once and for all, but long before Emma Watson revealed her campaign plan with He For She — an organization that works to bring men and women together to fight for gender equality — her film roles have promoted her political agenda for her. Never one to choose roles where women are objectified or sexualized, Emma Watson’s film career reads like a feminist’s dreams .

In fact, it’s kind of hard to find a movie that Emma Watson has been in that hasn’t been at least a little feminist. She’s an inspiration in that way, choosing to star in movies that empower women and show them as equal to their male counterparts, even if they’re not about feminism explicitly.

I mean, just take a look at her filmography , and you’ll see for yourself. It’s clear that she’s worked hard to pick movies and roles that promote and are about strong women. She has put gender equality at the front of her career decisions, that’s for sure.

So let’s face it, there aren’t many films that Emma Watson has been apart of that haven’t been good for women. But these films, in particular, are some of her strongest feminist works to date.

Ballet Shoes

Three female orphans relying on each other to get through their personal ordeal and to make the most of their situations? Sounds like the perfect film for any young, burgeoning feminist.

Click here to watch.

My Week With Marilyn

A film about one of the most complicated and enigmatic women in recent history, My Week with Marilyn does important work as a feminist film. Like depicting women as multidimensional and complex, even if on the surface the world sees them as sexual objects.

As the sole female character in Regression , Emma Watson’s yet-to-be-released movie doesn’t seem very feminist, but the amazing work that Watson does to bring a sexual abuse survivor to the big screen with such care and strength is significant to many women who are also survivors of abuse.

This Is the End

Sure, a bit role in a film mostly about a bunch of dudes trying to save themselves from the end of the world doesn’t seem like something that promotes gender equality, but Emma spends her entire cameo pointing out the bullshit women endure in these types of films and in the world in general. And when she straight up takes an ax to the guys who are discussing which one of them would be most likely to rape her, it’s maybe her most badass feminist moment in film ever.

Harry Potter

As Harry’s best friend Hermione Granger, Watson plays a character too concerned with her books and finding her own way out of the trouble to let her two male friends do much of anything. So many of the high jinks and problems this infamous trio triumph over are conquered because of Hermione Granger being awesomely strong and competent.

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower

Watson plays Sam, a young girl trying to recreate her tainted image before going of to college. Wrestling with other people's perception, self-confidence, and defining herself, this is yet another one of Watson's stellar feminist roles.

So do yourself a favor. When you need a break from fighting the good feminist fight, have yourself an Emma Watson viewing marathon and remind yourself that there are — thankfully! — people in Hollywood trying to do right by the world.

Image: The Weinstein Company (2); Columbia Pictures; Warner Brothers; BBC

Emma Watson

Emma Watson is best known for playing the character of Hermione, one of Harry Potter's best friends in the 'Harry Potter' film franchise.

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Who Is Emma Watson?

Emma Watson was born on April 15, 1990, in Paris, France, but raised in England. The actress got her big break as a child with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone , growing up on screen as she reprised her role of Hermione Granger through the franchise's eight films. Watson went on to enjoy success in the fashion and modeling industries, and continued to prove her abilities as an actress with roles in films like My Week with Marilyn , The Perks of Being a Wallflower , Beauty and the Beast and Little Women .

Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson was born on April 15, 1990, in Paris. Her parents, both British lawyers, are Jacqueline Luesby and Chris Watson. Her brother, Alex, was born three years later. Her parents divorced when Watson was 5, and she moved back to Oxfordshire in England with her mother and brother.

Watson attended the Stagecoach Theatre Arts school at Oxford. She studied singing, acting and dancing, and performed in school plays. Her natural instinct for acting first came out when she won a poetry competition for reciting James Reeves' "The Sea" at age 7.

Playing Hermione Granger in 'Harry Potter'

Watson sufficiently impressed casting agents and the film's producers, and won the role of Hermione Granger, Harry Potter's smart, bossy best friend and voice of reason. Harry Potter was portrayed by Daniel Radcliffe , and Rupert Grint was cast as Ron Weasley, Harry's other best friend. The trio of British child actors would become known around the globe for their roles as young wizards fighting a battle between good and evil, beginning with the release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in November 2001.

Watson's film debut was an enormous success: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone earned a record-breaking $33.3 million on its opening day in the United States, en route to grossing $975 million worldwide. It was nominated for three Academy Awards and seven BAFTA Awards, with Watson receiving critical praise to cement her status as an up-and-coming star.

For the next decade Watson stayed busy filming the Potter series. She reprised the role of Hermione for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in 2002 and for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in 2004, and continued to star in the eight-part series through the final film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 , in 2011.

Although they spent their adolescence on film sets, Watson and costars Radcliffe and Grint kept up with their lessons, with five hours of tutoring each day. Watson took high school equivalency exams, and made high scores in every subject. She took a year off from school to film the final two Harry Potter movies, but maintained that she was committed to furthering her education.

Watson tried hard to shed her child star image, one so closely tied to the Potter franchise. “I have lived in a complete bubble. They found me and picked me for the part. And now I’m desperately trying to find my way through it,” she said in an interview with Vogue in 2011.

Fashion and Education

As a teenager coming of age as an established movie star, Watson also emerged as a fashionista, her style catching the eye of many major figures in the fashion industry. "I love fashion. I think it's so important, because it's how you show yourself to the world," she once told Teen Vogue .

In September 2009 Watson announced that she was working with People Tree, a fashion label that promotes fair trade. Watson catapulted into the world of high fashion and modeling when she was chosen as the face of Burberry's Autumn/Winter 2009 collection, and again for the 2010 Spring/Summer collection.

Watson took fans by surprise when she chopped off her long locks, and debuted a pixie haircut in August 2010. The new 'do helped her shed the child star image of her Potter days, and in July 2011, Watson graced the cover of Vogue . The next month, she starred in a commercial for Lancôme perfume.

Maintaining her commitment to her education, Watson enrolled as a freshman at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, in the fall of 2009. Watson claimed she chose an American university over a British education because the American system allows students to study many subjects at once. Brown was also a place, Watson said, where she could more easily blend in. “I want to be normal,” she said. "I really want anonymity."

In March 2011 Watson revealed that she was deferring her schooling to work on the Potter finale. In July she announced plans to return to Brown for a year to complete her degree after studying at Oxford University in the fall. She graduated from Brown in 2014 with an English degree. That same year, she was appointed a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador.

'Ballet Shoes,' 'The Tale of Despereaux'

Although Watson became closely identified with the character of Hermione Granger, as an adolescent the young actress wanted to be seen as more. In 2007 she starred in another film based on a children's novel, Ballet Shoes, by Noel Streatfeild. The film aired on BBC One, garnering decent reviews with Watson in the lead role. In 2008 she branched out into animated work, voicing the character of Princess Pea in The Tale of Despereaux .

'Beauty and the Beast'

After the conclusion of Harry Potter , Watson was cast in My Week with Marilyn (2011), The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), The Bling Ring (2013), This Is The End (2013) and Noah (2014). In 2017 she played the lead role of Belle in the live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast , which became the highest-grossing live action musical of all time.

That year Watson won the MTV Movie & TV Awards' inaugural gender-neutral award for Best Actor in Movie. “MTV’s move to create a genderless award for acting will mean something different to everyone,” said Watson. “But to me, it indicates that acting is about the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. And that doesn’t need to be separated into two different categories.”

'The Circle,' 'Little Women'

Also in 2017 Watson joined Tom Hanks and John Boyega for the thriller The Circle , which earned middling reviews despite its strong cast. Next up for the actress was the prominent role of Meg March in Greta Gerwig 's 2019 adaptation of Little Women .

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QUICK FACTS

• Name: Emma Watson
• Birth Year: 1990
• Birth date: April 15, 1990
• Birth City: Paris
• Birth Country: France
• Best Known For: Emma Watson is best known for playing the character of Hermione Granger, one of Harry Potter's best friends in the 'Harry Potter' film franchise.
• Astrological Sign: Aries
• Brown University

We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us !

CITATION INFORMATION

• Article Title: Emma Watson Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/actors/emma-watson
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: December 26, 2019
• Original Published Date: April 2, 2014

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Emma Watson: A Leading Feminist Activist

Have you seen the lovely Emma Watson’s UN speech introducing HeforShe , collegiettes™? If not, watch it below!

Emma Watson has embraced her position as Goodwill Ambassador to the UN, and no one can argue now that she is anything less than a perfect selection for the position. Watson spent her speech describing her goals for female equality in the upcoming years. While Watson expressed her initial fear that gender equality will not be obtained within her lifetime, she countered with the introduction of HeForShe. HeforShe is a UN program that encourage men to be activists for female equality.

Gender equality can only be achieved with the cooperation of both sexes.  A father should be a feminist for his daughter. A brother for his sister. A husband for his wife. A son for his mother. Every man has an important female in his life. And when asked directly if they would deny a loved one basic human rights and equality, none would be a proponent for outright discrimination.

Emma Watson has provided a wonderful opportunity to open the conversation for gender equality between men and women. It is time for a little more than conversation though. It’s time to take real, tangible steps towards the promotion of gender equality around the globe. Together, we will see gender equality in our lifetime.

Photo Credits:

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Feminist Network Promoting Human Rights of Women and Children

Inspiring Thursday: Emma Watson

November 7, 2019

“Feminism is about giving women choice.  Feminism  is not a stick with which to beat other women  with.  It’s about freedom, it’s about liberation, it’s about equality.” – Emma Watson, The Guardian.     

Emma Watson, the leading actress in the  Harry Potter  franchise, has grown to be a popular figure in the feminist arena since her “HeForShe” campaign speech on gender equality in 2014. She has recently coined the term “self-partnered” which refers to the idea of being happily single at 29.     

Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson was born on April 15, 1990 in Paris, France but was raised in England by two British lawyers. Watson attended the Stagecoach Theatre Arts school at Oxford where she studied performing acts which included acting, singing and dancing. When she was 9 years old, her theatre teachers suggested her to casting agents for the first  Harry Potter  movie, J.K. Rowling´s best seller in the early 2000s. After multiple auditions, Watson earned her role as Hermione Granger, Harry Potter´s smart female friend alongside Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter and Rupert Grint’s Ron Weasley.   

Her smashing debut in the film industry propelled the actress´ carrier to great heights. After the first  Harry Potter  which grossed more than $975 million and was nominated for three Academy awards and seven BAFTA Awards, she starred in  Ballet Shoes  by Noel Streatfield (2007), played the voice of Princess Pea in The T ale of  Desperaux  (2008),  The Perks of Being a Wallflower  (2012), Sofia Coppola´s  The Bling Ring  (2013),  This is the End  (2013),  Noah  (2014),  Beauty and the Beast  (2017). Her work was also awarded 2013 People´s Choice Award, 2014 British Artist of the Year, and 2017 MTV Movie and TV Awards.    

Watson holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Brown University (2014). She also attended Oxford University for a short period as a visiting student. While in school, the actress dealt with bullying and pressure to finish the  Harry Potter  saga.   

In 2014, she was appointed UN Women Goodwill Ambassador. Shortly after, Watson gave a striking  speech  for the “HeForShe” campaign bringing to light her dedication to the cause of improving women´s rights and the need to redefine the concept of feminist to include men. While much praised by the media, Watson received criticism on her feminist work as insincere and was even  name   called “white feminist” due to her privileged position as a white British female actress. It has even been said that her feminism was “compatible with the bureaucracy of the UN and the requirements of a Hollywood career”  (Edelstein, 2017) . Her topless photoshoot for Vanity Fair also raised suspicion.     

Nevertheless, it did not take a toll on her advocacy. She became the ambassador of Camfed International, a movement to educate girls in rural Africa. Watson lately co-authored with Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the UN under-secretary general and executive director of UN Women; Katja Iversen, the president/CEO of Women Deliver; and Michael Kaufman, the co-founder of the White Ribbon Campaign an article for The Guardian accepting to participate to the formation of a G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council for the G7 member countries. The authors encouraged all governments to have a feminist foreign policy and by 2025 significantly increase funding to help women´s led organisations.    

Apart from being the face  of major fashion outlets , Watson is also a concerned fashion enthusiast who announced in 2009 that she was working with a fashion label promoting fair trade.    

Watson is one of the few women in performing arts who leveraged her high-profile status to bring women´s rights and gender equality to the fore front.     

Written by Claire Davis, WAVE Intern  

Sources  

Edelstein, JE. Emma Watson: feminist to the core or a carefully polished brand?. The Guardian. 2017. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/mar/12/emma-watson-feminist-or-polished-brand    

Emma Watson Biography. 2019.  https://www.biography.com/actor/emma-watson  

Emma Watson: Gender equality is your issue too. 2014.   https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2014/9/emma-watson-gender-equality-is-your-issue-too  

Watson E,  Phumzile Mlambo- Ngcuka , Katja Iversen, Michael Kaufman. Every G7 country should have a feminist foreign policy. 2019.    https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/aug/22/every-g7-country-should-have-a-feminist-foreign-policy-emma-watson  

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From Hermione Granger to heroine! As Emma Watson celebrates her 25th birthday, how the actress made the transition from child star to feminist icon revealed

• Emma Watson celebrated her 25th birthday on 15 April
• The actress has been centre stage since the age of just 11
• FEMAIL charts her journey from child star to a feminist icon  

By Martha Cliff for MailOnline

Published: 10:33 BST, 16 April 2015 | Updated: 16:43 BST, 16 April 2015

View comments

With 17 feature films, two fashion campaigns and a role as a UN Ambassador under her belt, it's hard to believe that Emma Watson is just 25.

The Harry Potter star reached a quarter of a century yesterday, celebrating what must arguably be one of the recognisable A-lister names on the planet.

Now renowned for her effortless style and influential role in women's right movements, Emma has come a long way from her frizzy-haired days as Harry Potter's loyal companion.

Scroll down for video 

Emma Watson turns 25 and has already carved a career that many of us can only dream of

But how has the actress made the transition from Hermione Granger to a feminist heroine? Here, FEMAIL charts her 14 years in the spotlight that have made her a global icon.

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Emma was placed firmly in the global spotlight after taking on one of the world's most famous roles. Aged just 11, she joined the cast of Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone as the geeky but loyal Hermione Granger.

Alongside Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint, she was catapulted to fame after the adaption of the JK Rowling book grossed at $317m (£214m) worldwide.

Emma's career began when she landed the roll of Hermione Granger alongside Daniel Radcliffe (centre) and Rupert Grint (right) who play Daniel Radcliffe and Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter saga

Emma was just 11 when she filmed Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. She is pictured here bright-eyed at her first ever premier for the first film

A year later saw the release of the second film in the series - Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets which saw Harry Potter and Ron Weasley go it alone after Emma's character Hermione is petrified by a giant snake known as the Basilisk.

Critics criticised the director Chris Columbus for under-employing Emma's talents in the film. 

After her appearance in the second Harry Potter flick critics criticised the director for underplaying Emma

In the third installment of the Harry Potter series, Hermione took a more prominent role, aiding Harry in restoring peace in Hogwarts, travelling back in time.

The actress earned kudos for her powerful female role after she famously punched the gang's arch Nemesis Draco Malfoy, which the actor Tom Felton described as 'hardcore'. 

The film also sees her famous frizz take some taming, as her hair appears softer and more tamed.

As Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire was released, Emma was recognised as an individual.

She received a Bronze Otto Award for her performance and, after her Yule Ball costume sent many teenage boys' hearts a flutter, she landed a cover on Teen Vogue magazine. 

Hermione takes a much bigger role in Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban

Emma won over the hearts of many teenage boys when she was transformed from a girl to a woman at the Yule Ball in Harry Potter And Yhe Goblet Of Fire

Emma may be an on-screen siren however she was still finding her fashion feet in 2005

In the fifth film - Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix - we also begin to get a sense of her worth, with her earnings so far estimated to be £10m.

This year also sees Emma branch out from her role as Hermione, taking the lead in the BBC production of Ballet Shoes based on the novel by Noel Streatfeild, which was aired over Christmas.

It was also this year Emma considered leaving the Harry Potter franchise. 

When she was asked to renew her contract that she had been presented with at the tender age of nine, she wanted to give it serious thought after she said her life had become out of her control.

'I get told what time I can eat, when I have time to go to the bathroom. Every single second of my day is not in my power,' she said at the time.

Eventually at the age of 16, she signed up for another five years with Warner Brothers.

Emma's hair took a bleach blonde tone in 2007 following her appearance in the fifth Potter film

The BBC adaptation of Ballet Shoes was the first non-Potter role for Emma Watson aged 16

It was a role in which we heard Emma, but didn't see her as the actress voiced the role of Princess Pea in the animated film The Tale Of Desperaux. It was her first - and only - animated film to date. 

In March 2009, Emma was named in sixth place on the Forbes list of the Most Valuable Young Stars. She was also named  Hollywood's highest paid female star   having earned an estimated £19m aged just 19.

In 2009 both Emma and her brother Alex (left) took centre stage in the Burberry campaign 

It was to be the first of several modelling jobs for the actress 

Emma took on her first modelling job in 2009, appearing in the AW09 campaign images for Burberry alongside her brother Alex. She also appeared in the brand imagery a year later for the AW10 campaign.

As if she didn't have enough on her plate, Emma also embarked on her degree at Brown's University in USA, but shortly after dropped out in order to continue filming  Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince which was released that year.  

In the penultimate Potter flick, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1, we see the trio step away from Hogwarts for the first time. The film was split into two parts for financial reasons.

Emma became a regular at fashion week taking to the front row and brushing shoulders with stars. Pictured: Emma at the Burberry SS10 show with Gwyneth Paltrow and Mario Testino 

Emma made headlines when she debuted a cropped haircut at the premier of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, a far cry from Hermione's bushy waves 

After getting a taste for fashion as a Burberry model, Emma was seen on the catwalks of several Fashion Week shows. She took front row at the Burberry catwalk in London where she was sat with Gwyneth Platrow and Vogue photographer Mario Testino.

At the World Premier of Harry Potter, the actress showcased her desire to disassociate herself with Hermione when she debuted her cropped haircut.

This year saw the end of Hermione Granger for Emma after the release of the final film Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2.

Despite her previous gripes with the movies, Emma was moved to tears at the world premiere of the last instalment, which marked the end of 10 years of filming.  

2011 saw the final instalment of Harry Potter and Emma was moved to tears at the world premiere

Emma grew as one to watch in the fashion industry when she was awarded Style Icon at the Elle Style Awards

After having waved goodbye to the Potter franchise, Emma picked up a new role as Lucy, a wardrobe assistant in My Week With Marilyn.

Emma's style efforts were further acknowledged when the actress took home the Style Icon award at the ELLE Style Awards. 

Emma also returned to her studies at Oxford University before having to put her studies on hold in order to film.

Her first post Potter role came when she acted alongside Eddie Redmayne in My Week With Marilyn

In 2012 Emma abandoned her English Rose status as she adopted an American accent to play Sam, a glamorous high school student in The Perks Of Being AWallflower

Emma took a complete turnaround from her famous English schoolgirl role as she adopted an American accent in The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, in which she played Sam in the adaption of Stephen Chbosky's novel.

Emma took on her most unrecognisable role yet, playing the pot-smoking underage drinking Nikki in The Bling Ring, based on the true events of teenagers in LA who burgled from the homes of Hollywood A-listers.

In a bizarre turn of events, Emma appeared in a cameo role as a more exaggerated version of herself along side Seth Rogan and James Franco, in the post apocalyptic film where she famously used a four letter swearword. 

Emma's role in The Bling Ring saw her go from British school girl to LA socialite in 2013 

Emma proved she had brains as well as beauty when she graduated from Brown University with a degree in English Literature, after commencing her degree five years earlier.

Additionally, Emma took on the role of Ila in Noah where she played the girlfriend of Noah's son, starring alongside Russell Crowe and Douglas Booth.

But by far the most applauded achievement that Emma gained in 2014 was for her role as a UN Goodwill Ambassador for Women.

In early 2014 Emma graduated from Brown's University with a degree in English Literature 

The speech that she gave in  New York made waves around the world and paved the way for her to continue her work as ambassador.

The Paris-born actress launched her HeForShe follows feminism's principles of striving for equal rights and opportunities for men and women, including the political, economic and social equality of the sexes. But it aims to repackage the concept without emphasis on oppression by the male sex. 

In fact Emma formally invited men - who may have previously felt alienated from the movement - to play a greater role in ending gender inequality.

Emma was applauded by feminists as she launched the HeForShe campaign as part of her work as the UN Goodwill Ambassador for women 

She addressed the United Nations in New York and called for the support of men in women's rights rather than the oppression of the male sex 

The campaign attracted a celebrity following with Simon Pegg and Joseph Gordon Levitt and seeing the star recognised for something other than her role as the bushy haired Hermione. 

Emma has a busy year ahead. September will see the release of her latest flick Colonia in which she plays a woman in search of her boyfriend who was abducted in Seventies Chile.

She will also begin filming perhaps her most magical role yet as Belle in the live-action remake of Disney's Beauty And The Beast.

Share or comment on this article: Emma Watson's transition from child star to feminist icon revealed

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