Emma Watson's amazing speech on gender equality reminds men it's their issue too
She launched the HeForShe campaign as UN Women Goodwill ambassador.
By Lucy Wood
Appearing in her new role as UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, Emma Watson attended the HeForShe campaign launch in New York this weekend, where she spoke with passion at the headquarters about gender equality and her life-long feminist beliefs.
Refreshingly, her speech largely called on the men of the world to play their role in the equality battle, questioning how her goal to empower women could ever be acheived with only half of the population willing to get involved.
The new UN campaign, HeForShe, is working to enlist as much male support as possible to help achieve equality between the sexes - "one half of humanity in support of the other of humanity, for the entirety of humanity" - and Emma began her plea by addressing the stigmas often attached to openly speaking out as a feminist.
"I was appointed six months ago and the more I have spoken about feminism the more I have realised 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", Emma stated.
In her first major speech for the cause, she went on to share her own experiences of everyday sexism, which began for her at a young age when she was called 'bossy' for wanting to direct school plays, while boys in her class were not referred to in the same way.
"When at 14 I started being sexualised by certain elements of the press. When at 15 my girlfriends started dropping out of their sports teams because they didn't want to appear 'muscly'. When at 18 my male friends were unable to express their feelings", she explained.
Emma, who admitted that she would probably be dismissed by critics as 'that Harry Potter girl', urged her male audience to speak up for their daughters, sisters and mothers: "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 needing his presence as a child as much as my mother's."
As Emma suggested: "If we stop defining each other by what we are not and start defining ourselves by what we are—we can all be freer..."
You can watch her full and inspiring speech here:
What do you think of Emma's involvement in the HeForShe campaign? Let us know in the comments below, or tweet us @CosmopolitanUK.
Lucy Wood Contributor, MarieClaire.com Lucy Wood spends most of her time writing about celebby things, reading books, and waiting for the glorious day that she have enough millions for a pet sloth.
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