Emma Watson covers the March issue of Elle UK, and I think this cover is stunning. I love the simplicity of the image, and how she seems understyled. It really works. Emma covers the March issue because she was honored with the Elle UK Woman of the Year Award at the Elle event last week. Why is she Woman of the Year? Feminism, or something. I honestly don’t hate that Emma is a feminist and I don’t hate that she’s trying to learn more about feminism and women’s history and intersectional feminism. I would hate it if she fronted like she already knew everything about everything, but she’s not doing that. Anyway, in this Elle piece, she makes references to feminism and all that jazz. Some highlights:
On taking a year off from acting to concentrate on activism: ‘It wasn’t about me necessarily proving anything… I was just thinking that I have this year to myself, so let’s see what we can do to ‘move the needle’ and make a difference.’
On her role as Belle in Beauty and the Beast: ‘For me, Beauty was the perfect, most joyful thing to do… There was something connected about Hermione and Belle, and it was good to be reminded that I am an actress; this is what I do. The film is pure escapism.’
On dealing with her critics: ‘It really toughened me up…There is a level of criticism that comes with being an actress and a public figure, which I expect, but once you take a stance on something like feminism, that’s a completely different ball game.’
On whether she would consider writing her own book: ‘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.’
“I am not sure I deserve all the respect I get yet, but I’m working on it.” I agree with that. Her feminist message at the UN launch for HeForShe was bare-bones Feminism 101, and even then, people took issue with it. Some people hated the simple fact that Emma said words about feminism, and then some people thought Emma’s message was just overly broad and focusing on the wrong thing (meaning, feminists don’t agree about the need for male allies in the feminist movement). But she was suddenly put on a pedestal and everyone proclaimed her to be the next feminist icon and… it was too soon. That’s not ON Emma though.
Photos courtesy of Kerry Hallihan/Elle UK.
I know many people don’t, but I do like Emma, and she comes across really well here
❤️
I like her, too. She’s young and she’s trying to educate herself on the issues that matter to her in an effort to make a difference. I, for one, applaud her for it.
Feminism is a complicated topic. Good for Emma realizing that she can’t yet speak for half the people on the planet (and the people who care about them). On a superficial note — she looks good in that blue shirt. Hermione is all grown up. Awww.
She’s young, she’s learning and she’s open to new ideas. What’s not to love?
I love this styling of her, she should look to translate it to the red carpet.
Re: feminism. I would tell her to read The Second Sex by Simone de Beaviour.
No, it’s not on her. I’m in my 40s and I’m still learning. It’s a lifelong mission, if you have any humility about it.
I like her.
ITA and is why I don’t really follow or pay much attention to people like Caitlin Moran who thinks she knows it all. Life is one big never ending lesson.
I’m still learning too. That’s what I do like about her, I know she’s gotten lots of criticism, much of it justified, but if she’s willing to say she’s still learning, and willing to stand up and at least try, then great.
A feminist who promotes skin whitening cream, evades taxes while lecturing about equality, flies around the world in planes promoting her movies and being oh such a environmentalist. yeah right. She chose feminism to promote herself as a deep more-than-actress person. Overrated hypocrite.
Thank f*ck someone finally said it…. Can’t believe all this gushing over Nothingburger Watson with the overacting eyebrow.
thank God someone sees this twit for who she really is. Her asinine ’cause’ and she’s only doing this to make herself out to be better than average, since it’s not like she has better than average acting ability.
Ironically, she underpaid the factory workers (mostly women) who made her “this is what a feminist looks like” T-shirts. Also the brands she endorsed are known to test their products on animals. So over this celebrity feminism.
If white feminists would whine a little less, maybe the actual hidden cries of women all around the would stand a chance of being listened to.
They weren’t “her” t-shirts. She just wore one. They were sold by a U.K. high street brand.
Feminism is a topic which you never stop learning about, and for her to openly say it is incredibly important. She has one of the biggest, most diverse fan bases in the World, and a great part of it has learned about feminism thanks to her.
Then why did she accept a high-profile spokesperson position on the issue if she didn’t know about it? She’s not some celebrity who was randomly asked about feminism; she’s the UN Special Ambassador on the issue. I think it is on her – when she talks about how people are pushing her into a corner about how she’s here to lecture people on feminism, it’s because she pushed that image of herself as a feminist activist for years. She gets the benefit of the doubt about it from many people because she’s a “respectable and classy” (white) woman – compare and contrast the responses in this thread versus the one for Emily Ratajkowski this week.
Am actually glad she came out and said this as a lot of young women in her age group don’t know much about the subject. I’m in my early 40s and I wasn’t exposed to feminism until I went to Uni. It’s not a subject taught in British schools and it should be. From what I understand from my niece in her 20s they don’t even teach kids about the Suffragettes in school nowadays. It was certainly part of the curriculum in my day, all those years ago.
Even I the workplace I find myself having to explain Feminism to women half my age, they don’t really get that we still have a very long way to go to achieve equality between the sexes.
? Was your comment meant to be a response to someone else’s post?
My issue is that she gets headpats and cookies for simply saying that she’s a feminist and admitting that she’s not knowledgeable about it when she holds a position where she’s expected to speak knowledgably on the issue (and doesn’t). She’s blaming others for hyping her up and admitting that she’s not good at her job. Could you imagine someone like Emily R. saying that without getting roasted as being thirsty at best?
No. I was responding to your comment about her accepting the role while saying she doesn’t know much about it. Education on feminism is lacking and if she , by admitting she doesn’t know much about it, makes others go out and educate themselves then that’s not a bad thing. Even Angeline Jolie admitted she wasn’t an expert when she took on her UN role.
If being a feminist means that you want equal rights for women both personally and professionally then I am a proud FEMINIST.
If being a feminist means that you are doing the same job as a man for a lesser salary and is protesting over the discrimination then I am a proud FEMINIST.
If being a feminist means that you can study whatever subject you want and work in that chosen field then I am a proud FEMINIST.
If being a feminist means that you are fighting to help millions of girls to get basic education then I am a proud FEMINIST.
If being a feminist means that you fight to stop female genitale mutilation then I am a proud FEMINIST.
If being a feminist means that you fight to help other women fight against religious “rules” then I am a proud FEMINIST.
Very original. Yawn.
@Maya +1! I am a proud feminist too.
@Sandy so many people don’t understand the basics of feminism, I think it’s important to remind ourselves of it, even if it seems like things everything should already know.
She doesn’t even pay tax yet she has the cheek to lecture on feminism! I am a feminist but the fact that she doesn’t pay tax shows she doesn’t care about the 99% of women who need public services like schools, transport etc. I’ve heard from a good source that she’s a horrible person in real life..very arrogant & demanding. She’s like a mini-Gwyneth Paltrow…just unlikeable.
Where’s your source that she doesn’t pay tax? I’ve never seen that anywhere.