Earlier this week in an interview with Porter Magazine, Emma Watson revealed a surprising fact about her UN Speech to introduce the HeForShe movement last year: she was discouraged from using the word ‘feminist.’ Now, I must admit, I used to be one of those people who did not consider myself a feminist. I didn’t like the word for the usual reasons: I thought people would think I hated men or other terrible things. It was actually that very speech that completely and totally changed my mind. From that moment on, I had no second thoughts at all about proudly identifying myself as a feminist. And I would hazard a guess that this experience was not unique to me.
But at least now we all know: feminism is the belief in the social, political, and economic equality of the genders. It is not a movement advocating for women to be higher than males, but for them to be equal. Let’s repeat: equal. Right now, this is not the case in any place around the world. Women are undervalued and lacking in the opportunity in every country around the world. Of course, there is a spectrum and not every country is at the same place, but this needs to change. Equality is a good thing.
It is true, the word can still sometimes feel weighty and others might continue to misunderstand the definition, but I think that Emma’s speech really did a lot to change that. People who have a different idea about what feminism is are misinformed. Don’t let that stop you from identifying yourself. For me, and for many other people, her words redefined (but really, reminded everyone) what feminism is and has the potential to be: a necessarily inclusive movement toward gender equality that is mutually beneficial for both men and women. Imagine if she had backed down and decided not to use the term ‘feminist’ in a speech about feminism? Where would we be then? How could we possibly expect to make any sort of change if we are afraid of the term that literally defines the necessary change. If we fear a word, how can we expect to bring the idea to fruition? In Emma’s own words, “If women are terrified to use the word, how on earth are men supposed to start using it?” Exactly. We women need to reclaim that term and dust it off because it’s not a dirty word. It is a positive and necessary change. So, thank you Emma, for encouraging us all to be on our own side. We all owe you a big hug!
