Speaker- Emma Watson
This speech brought feminism into the limelight. It defined what it was to those who might have had a stereotype of feminism and feminists in their heads and proved how feminism helps both women and men.
I feel like this is important and interesting because of how she showed the disadvantages women face and showed how men can benefit from feminism.
In this speech, Emma Watson is genuine, sincere and honest with her experiences as a woman, and is passionate about educating people of the true definition of feminism and how it can help the world.
Emma Watson speaks very slowly and deliberately through out her speech. She makes many pauses. She is firm, but does not raise her voice.
I believe that "I decided that I was a feminist" should be the section most emphasized from the speech.
The call to action is for more people (particularly men and boys) to identify as feminists and for people to open their eyes and see the systematic sexism in society that is very often unaddressed.
This speech makes me hopeful and inspired and I imagine that the audience felt the same way.
I could see people who are against feminism could see this as threatening or frustrating.
Emma Watson is an actress, most known for her role as Hermione in Harry Potter, but after Harry Potter finished, she graduated from Brown and became a spokesman for the campaign He for She. Today she is contemporary icon for the feminist movement.
Segment of the Speech-
For the record, feminism by definition is: “The belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. It is the theory of the political, economic and social equality of the sexes.”
I started questioning gender-based assumptions when at eight I was confused at being called “bossy,” because I wanted to direct the plays we would put on for our parents—but the boys were not.
When at 14 I started being sexualized by certain elements of the press.
When at 15 my girlfriends started dropping out of their sports teams because they didn’t want to appear “muscly.”
When at 18 my male friends were unable to express their feelings.
I decided I was a feminist and this seemed uncomplicated to me. But my recent research has shown me that feminism has become an unpopular word.
Apparently I am among the ranks of women whose expressions are seen as too strong, too aggressive, isolating, anti-men and, unattractive.
Why is the word such an uncomfortable one?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-iFl4qhBsE
