Over the past 15 years, we have watched actress Emma Watson blossom into one of the most mature child actors to date. She spent her adolescent and teenage years playing Hermione Granger in the popular Harry Potter film franchise, and she later went on to graduate from Brown University in May 2014.
Using her overwhelming fame as a platform for addressing women's rights at a global level, Watson has brought feminism into the new age. She became a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador in July 2014, and later that year in September, Watson delivered a speech for the launch of the 'HeForShe' campaign. The campaign seeks to end gender inequality by getting both men and women involved in its efforts. According to People magazine and UN Women, notable celebrity supporters include Harry Styles, Logan Lerman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Russell Crowe, Zooey Deschanel, Sophia Bush, Ellie Goulding, and Arianna Huffington.
Watson's campaign launch speech gained a lot of attention from the media, as she formally invited men to join the feminist movement and to stand by their female counterparts in the fight for gender equality. The 'HeForShe' campaign now has 1,300,779,652 actions and counting, according to the official campaign website.
Now, almost two years after being appointed to her ambassador position, Watson has decided to take a step back from acting and a bigger step into the modern feminist movement. At just 25, Watson attributes her role as a feminism activist to her growth as a young woman. She said, "I’m on my journey with this and it might change, but I can tell you that what is really liberating and empowering me through being involved in feminism is that for me the biggest liberation has been that so much of the self-critiquing is gone."
Watson has truly used the depth of her career to get involved with something that truly goes beyond getting likes on Instagram or Facebook, being photographed while looking effortless at the market, or creating an app. Her self-interest has become the interest of many, particularly those who look up to her. Although we won't be seeing her on the big screen, Watson will surely make waves with her devotion to the feminist cause. In bettering herself, she will understandably better the lives of those around her.
I've looked up to Emma Watson since the days when she effortlessly and thoughtfully showed her smarts to everyone around her when she played Hermione Granger in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." As a young girl, there was nothing more inspiring than seeing another young girl impress and shock others with her intellect and will for success. Although I don't see myself having as much book smarts as Hermione, I do think the character made Watson one of the best role models for children my age. Growing up in an environment where child stars I had once looked up to are now being ripped apart by the tabloids for being sent to rehab or being involved in numerous scandals, Watson offers a more positive example. She has consistently put forth her beliefs about feminism and that is something that I admire. As someone who has attended an all-girls' school, I value Emma Watson's efforts to better the lives of all women around the world through efforts that involve women and men. While I will miss seeing her on the big screen for the next year or so, I am anticipating great things for Watson's future as she continues to advocate for women's rights around the world.
