Emma Watson’s recent photo shoot with Vanity Fair, in which she wears a short cropped jacket with nothing underneath, has come under fire from all sorts of people claiming that this shoot proves just how invalid both Emma Watson and feminism are. I think it simply proves how ignorant people are when it comes to feminism.
Emma Watson: “Feminism, feminism… gender wage gap… why oh why am I not taken seriously… feminism… oh, and here are my tits!” pic.twitter.com/gb7OvxzRH9
— Julia Hartley-Brewer (@JuliaHB1) https://twitter.com/JuliaHB1/status/836873834414366720″>March 1, 2017
Julia Hartley-Brewer, a radio present for British radio station talkRADIO, has called Watson out for anti-feminism and hypocrisy… yet is also seen very creepily objectifying Watson in a very unprofessional attempt to stick with her story. So, who’s the real anti-feminist here, may I ask?
And here is Hartley-Brewer claiming that if you have your boobs out, you can’t possibly be a feminist:
https://twitter.com/JenSteeleToo”>@JenSteeleToo you can’t claim to be fighting sexism if you then use your tits to boost your career
— Julia Hartley-Brewer (@JuliaHB1) March 1, 2017
Emma Watson, when asked in an interview with Reuters how she felt about the anti-feminist claims people were making against her, responded brilliantly.
She states that it just reveals to her “how many misconceptions and what a misunderstanding there is about what feminism is.”
“Feminism is about giving women a choice. Feminism is not a stick with which to beat other women with. It’s about freedom, it’s about liberation, it’s about equality. I really don’t know what my tits have to do with it.”
“I’m always just quietly stunned.”
Emma Watson, although not a perfect person, as none of us are, has been a figurehead for redefining feminism for so long. Everything she says rings true. Feminism is all about providing women with the right to choose. Modesty empowers some women. Nudity empowers others. Choosing either of those doesn’t invalidate any of them as feminists.
A wonderful example of this is the Islamic faith, in which many women wear hijabs, burkas, or niqabs, which are three types of head dressings. Islam is constantly under attack for being one of the most sexist religions… however, Muslims are not forced to wear any of these head dressings. It is made clear in the Quran that Muslim women have the choice to wear head dressings, and if they choose not to, that is fine. Many women, especially Muslims in the United States or in Europe, truly choose to wear these garments of their own volition. Some Muslim women are empowered by their choice to wear head dressings and dress more modestly, yet they are still attacked for being a part of a religion that the outside world has branded as sexist.
In fact, countless Muslim women are feminists and avidly protested in the Women’s March on Washington alongside thousands of non-Muslim feminists. They’re still committed to the Islamic faith, yet they’re protesting as feminists… this alone shows that Islam is not sexist and also that feminism is not exclusive.
Double standards and misunderstandings about feminism run rampant and are more clear than ever with the rise of social media and the ability to be virtually anonymous (pun intended). Women who step out and proclaim their feminism in their nudity or in their modesty are bringing light to this issue and helping to break down these false ideas about the feminist movement. So, hats off to you, Emma Watson. Maybe we can all be more like you if we tried a little harder and were a little more open-minded.
(Title Photo by Marco Bond)