“Watson triumphant”

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]’ve always loved Emma Watson. Watson embodied Hermione Granger with aplomb and brought forward the idea to girls and boys alike that it was okay to be clever. It turns out that Watson’s formative years playing Granger have had a huge impact on the young woman she is today.

Emma Watson’s speech at the UN marked a huge step forward for attitudes towards feminism. If you listen to her speech (and I strongly advise you do) she is visibly nervous and speaks with an endearing and simple honesty that needs to be heard. It is important to note that she doesn’t exactly say anything that will rock the boat of feminist theory but this does not impede on the importance of her words. The fact is that Emma is a phenomenon; famous world-wide, her celebrity status is the rocket-fuel to ensure that feminism echoes in corners that it wouldn’t normally reach. How many of us would have shared the speech if it wasn’t Emma Watson making that speech? If I’m honest with myself, I don’t think it would have appeared on my radar.

I have always been disgruntled by anyone who doesn’t describe themselves as a feminist because it embodies a core universal value that should be innate within us all.

As Watson says, feminism’s fundamental aim is equality between the sexes. How could you not want that!? I applaud Watson for spelling out this value and dispelling the inaccurate and ostracising labels that feminism has often been accused of.

The establishment of the ‘HeforShe’ campaign is also incredibly game-changing and important to the support for gender equality. I am not afraid to say that I have, at times, felt alienated from feminism because of the accusations of my ‘privilege’ when trying to enter this debate. But I empathise and I care deeply about gender equality. I can’t speak for women (and would never want to be so hypocritically presumptuous) but I hope that I can speak with women against gender discrimination. So I happily accept Emma’s invitation and hope you do to. Watson’s message is clear: now is the time to both speak up and listen.