Salma Hayek now self-identifies as a feminist after rejecting the label

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Last year, Salma Hayek made an oopsie about feminism. She was at an event supporting women’s rights, equality in education, etc, and she was asked point-blank if she considers herself a feminist. Her reply? “I am not a feminist. If men were going through the things women are going through today, I would be fighting for them with just as much passion. I believe in equality.” Because we all know how feminism is the fight for inequality, correct? Anyway, Salma has a new interview with The Guardian (she promoting her adaptation of Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet) and the subject of feminism comes up again. Here are the relevant quotes:

When asked, “What does feminism mean to you?”

Salma says, “I am a feminist because I love women and I am ready to fight for women. I am a feminist because I am proud to be a woman, and I am passionate about making the world a better place for women. I am a feminist because a lot of amazing women have made me the woman I am today. I am inspired by women every day, as friends and as colleagues…

“But – it should not be just because I am a woman…A reflex. It should be a reflex, if someone else is being hurt, to help. It shouldn’t have to be because you are being a victim too. I work a lot for domestic violence, and people often ask me if I have experienced it. And I say, no, on the contrary – my father is a great man, my husband is a great man. But we are all human beings, no?”

“The amount of pressure on women now, it’s crazy. You have to be much better than your male colleagues, just so you can maybe try and get the same salary as them. And you still have to be a good wife and mother. And now you also have to be skinny, and you have to look 20 when you’re 40. It’s too much. We need to stop with the crazy expectations, give ourselves a break.”

[From The Guardian]

So… she’s a feminist now. Glad we cleared that up. And I sort of agree that feminism should be a reflex to inequality, which is maybe what she meant to say last year, but everything got convoluted. She also talks about how even though she’s married to a billionaire, she still pays her own bills and she insists that she has no interest in being a “society lady.” She also threw shade at one of her other new films, Everly, because “we don’t want to talk about. It’s not what I thought it would be. I want it to go away, that one.” Ouch.

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Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.

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26 Responses to “Salma Hayek now self-identifies as a feminist after rejecting the label”

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  1. Lucy says:

    Great! Now she gets it, and tbh I don’t see anything wrong with what she says here. Moving on to the next one now!

  2. OSTONE says:

    Nothing wrong with going back, review your words and re-phrase. I believe she truly did not mean “I am not a feminist” in the literal sense, I believe she was referring to the incorrect belief that feminism=man hating. Glad she educated herself and put into words what she meant in the first place!

  3. genevieve says:

    Aw. At least she has seen the light (that her publicist probably had to beam directly into her eyes).

    But now I want to be stinking rich so I can wear stupid hats that were probably stupid expensive, and say ignorant and/or rude things without having to worry about employment.

    • Ash says:

      “At least she has seen the light (that her publicist probably had to beam directly into her eyes). ”

      Thank you for my first laugh of today, Genevieve. You brought tears to my eyes.

  4. QQ says:

    I wanted to form a comment on the tune switching but I got derailed by that RIDICULOUS Blue Beret situation OMFG LOL

    • Jaded says:

      I think she’s wearing it to try to convince people that she’s an intellectual. She failed.

    • Kitten says:

      Those photos make me angry.

    • MC2 says:

      She threw the hat on last minute to distract from the horrible fake flower, tie/scarf/bolo disaster.

      • QQ says:

        Forreals yall: WHAT THE F*CK IS THAT OUTFIT/1/1 You are the Boss Lady of SEVERAL fashion houses and that looks like a bad Lifetime movie costume of ” when he lead is in Paris after several years” OMG

    • Detritus says:

      What is that beret?!? And the tie? No girl, no. Kanye does a better job dressing Kim. I say that even with the blonde hair.

  5. Loulou says:

    Good. She came back well-articulated. I like her response.

  6. Josefa says:

    If someone would actually shade her for rephrasing and getting feminism right, my whole faith in the cause would go to hell. Well done, Salma.

  7. Amy says:

    I don’t know, good for her but I feel like this is a consequence of the entire discussion.

    Now instead of answering honestly, even if ignorantly, some women will just plug how feminist they are. Something about the way she said it basically felt like the exact same thing she said before but with “I am” instead of “I am not.”

    Not sure what good that does if the emotion is insincere.

    • perplexed says:

      In her case, English isn’t her native language so maybe something got articulated strangely the first time because of language differences. Or maybe she understood feminism differently the first time around because of the language differences?

    • MC2 says:

      She stated that she did a lot for women’s rights (she was at a charity event when the 1st dumb comment was made). She does work for women’s education, equality, domestic violence so I give her applause. Actions speak louder then words & so she proves the emotions behind her words IMO. Also- if we didn’t let education change us then we’d be doomed. The discussion happens so change can happen.

  8. Hautie says:

    Salma Hayek tries hard to get it right. So I don’t mind her odd attempts with the odd hats. Unfortunately, hats are a hard thing to pull off effectively.

    Unless you are British and have a wedding to attend. I love to see all the feathers, Hats & Fascinators that come out for a wedding. It is a lost art here in the US. How to wear a crazy looking hat with style.

    But I will say, men and Stetson cowboys hats… are still hot here in Texas. And I love a man in a properly fitted Stetson.

  9. j.eyre says:

    I agree with most of the other commenters – I am less concerned with what she said then as to what she is saying now. The point of a dialogue is to enter into a discussion to resolve a problem; thus, I applaud Ms. Hayek for being an active participant in that discussion.

  10. Nebby says:

    What she said earlier may have come out wrong, but she was putting action towards helping women an thats all I care about. It’s great that she identifies with the word now, but I don’t care if she didnt. It’s all about the action. do what you can to support equality, there are plenty of people who say they respect all people but their actions prove otherwise.

  11. Lady L says:

    She should. Hillary Clinton is a perfect example of getting credit and mileage paying lip service to this label. You get so many kudos for saying as much. If you can live like a doormat, ride a man’s coattails and pay your female employees less and still get lauded for being a feminist- let’s all use label.

  12. seesittellsit says:

    Having used her fantastic looks to snag a multi-billionaire who can back any business project that interests her, Salam Hayek now self-identifies as a feminist. Way to go, baby cakes!

  13. twink says:

    I’m surprised about her not wanting to talk about Everly, I rented it and I liked it, and no, not because of what she wears (or doesn’t) as I’m a gay guy but it was enjoyable!

  14. taxi says:

    Hats are not her friends. I still remember her nutso nurse-a-baby-grab on a “charity” trip.

  15. Sara says:

    Despite access to the fashion’s industry’s closets, the woman has no style whatsoever lol…She’s hideous. As to her being a feminist..If being the world’s most shameless gold-digger qualifies one as a feminist, then yes, she is one.

  16. raincoaster says:

    She may or may not be a feminist, but she is very definitely a serial wearer of bad headgear.