Emma
Watson was just eleven years old when she was chosen to play the coveted role
of Hermione Granger in JK Rowling’s world-famous Harry Potter series. Small, well
spoken, and wise beyond her years, she took on the role with gusto and
confidence, much like she does with her life. After closing the chapter of her
life spent filming Harry Potter, she decided that she was ready to take on a new
challenge: college. The young actress enrolled in Brown University, and
graduated with a degree in English Literature. With Watson it seems as if there
is always something next for her, so, when she was appointed as a UN Women
Ambassador six months ago, she surely worked her magic.
Watson’s
newest project in her life is the He for She Campaign, a campaign unlike any of
its kind. If you think back to the 1960s and 70s you will have images of
young females lining the streets of cities with posters shouting in protest;
proud and determined. These women took inspiration from the Civil Right’s
movement on how to stage their campaigns.
The He for She campaign has developed an entirely different tactic for spreading its message. This campaign for gender equality calls upon men and boys of the world to bring attention to the lack of gender equality that still exists in our lives today. Unlike most women’s rights campaigns, this one will not be duped as “man hating” because men will actually be advocating for themselves, as well as the opposite sex.
In her speech, Watson
brings attention to the fact that it is not only females that are being
affected by gender equality, but men as well. Watson shares that she started
realizing gender inequality in her own life at a very young age. As her acting
career blossomed, she began to feel the pressure of being in the public eye. At
age fifteen she started becoming sexualized by the press. But a few years later, at age eighteen she
noticed a pattern in her male companions as well. She discovered that they were unable
to express their feelings, out of fear of not appearing “manly”. Today in the
United Kingdom suicide is the main cause of death among men between the ages of
20-49 years of age, proving that men aren’t always given the benefit of the
doubt in gender equality.
The He for She campaign has developed an entirely different tactic for spreading its message. This campaign for gender equality calls upon men and boys of the world to bring attention to the lack of gender equality that still exists in our lives today. Unlike most women’s rights campaigns, this one will not be duped as “man hating” because men will actually be advocating for themselves, as well as the opposite sex.
 |
| Emma Watson spoke about the UN Women He for She Campaign in September. photo from modive.com/CC |
As for
the female population, Watson sheds light on the ever evolving violence and
discrimination against women in third world countries. Poverty has created a
bridge between the advancement of men and women in society in developing
countries. Often times, a young girl is married before the age of sixteen to
keep her off of the crime filled streets of India. In Africa, the majority of
female students will not be given the chance to receive a secondary education. In Watson’s speech she gives the horrifying statistic that 15.5 million girls
will be married before the age of sixteen, and it will be approximately 2086
until all of those African girls can attend school without the fear of being
shunned, or even raped for trying to attend school.
We say that women are just as equal as men today, but that is simply a bold faced lie. Yes, a woman in America can run for office, be a lawyer, doctor, or anything else she wants. But, when a five-year-old girl turns on the television what will she see? A perfect depiction of what a man would find appealing in a woman being advertised as sexual objects. As a society we have made advancements towards gender equality but to say that we have achieved it would be an insult to the women, and the men, of the world who still suffer every day. As women we have done our part, but it has become clear that more aggressive action needs to take place. So, Emma Watson, the United Nations and the women of the world are calling upon the entire male species to do their part.
We say that women are just as equal as men today, but that is simply a bold faced lie. Yes, a woman in America can run for office, be a lawyer, doctor, or anything else she wants. But, when a five-year-old girl turns on the television what will she see? A perfect depiction of what a man would find appealing in a woman being advertised as sexual objects. As a society we have made advancements towards gender equality but to say that we have achieved it would be an insult to the women, and the men, of the world who still suffer every day. As women we have done our part, but it has become clear that more aggressive action needs to take place. So, Emma Watson, the United Nations and the women of the world are calling upon the entire male species to do their part.
“I want
men to take up this mantle. So their daughters, sisters and mothers can be free
from prejudice but also so that their sons have permission to be vulnerable and
human too—reclaim those parts of themselves they abandoned and in doing so be a
more true and complete version of themselves,” exclaimed Watson.
So when
you log on to www.heforshe.org and
accept the challenge that has been bestowed to you, you will understand who you
are doing this for and hopefully you can visualize the beauty of a world where
your sons and daughters will not be afraid to be themselves.
Works Cited:
Watson,
Emma. "Emma Watson: Gender Equality Is Your Issue Too." HeadQuarters.
United Nations
Women, 20 Sept. 2014. Web. 08 Oct. 2014.
HeForShe." HeForShe. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.heforshe.org/>.
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