Global Women and their Impact: Emma Watson
/Every woman can make a difference, and we all do, in our own unique way. We have an impact on our family, our children, friends and coworkers. And they influence us - how much have we learned from our mothers, grandmothers, siblings and best friends, even if we sometimes don’t want to admit it?
In our blog series “Global Women and their Impact” we want to introduce women from different countries and show how they have influenced society, the entrepreneurship and business world and their industry.
Europe: Emma Watson
The British actress Emma Watson has played her way into our hearts as Hermione in the Harry Potter franchaise. Already as a young girl she became world famous. Her role as the only female lead in the Harry Potter saga, forced her to stand up for herself and take a strong position. A difficult role at such a young age.
But Emma Watson, today 32 years old, has evolved from child star to a recognized actress, businesswoman and feminist. She takes advantage of her fame and the platform that is available to her to be a strong advocate for feminism and gender equality.
In 2014, she was appointed UN Women Goodwill Ambassador. In the same year, she launched the HeForShe campaign and gave a speech at the UN headquarters clarifying the meaning of feminism, the importance of it and refuting the argument that it is in any way "man-hating." “The more I have spoken about feminism, the more I have realized that fighting for women’s rights has too often become synonymous with man-hating,” Watson said. “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 the political, economic and social equality of the sexes.”
In 2016, Watson started a feminist Goodreads book club: Our Shared Shelf. The goal of the club is to share feminist ideas and encourage discussion on the topic. One book is selected per month and is discussed in the last week of that month. The first book to be selected was My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem. The book club is currently not active, but the page and its book suggestions can be found here.
In recent years, Emma Watson has addressed issues of white racism and intersectionality. In a letter introducing 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, and now encourages her fans to do the same.
Global Women of Impact is a blog series that features influential women around the globe and how they each made a difference in their field. Written by Nina Bader, Diversity & Inclusion Facilitator and Martha Fallon, Social Media Coordinator, Young Women in Business Vancouver.