Over the past few years, female celebrities have stepped up to express their views on feminism. Some, like Shailene Woodley, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, and Katy Perry, have specifically said that they were not feminists, because they liked men…sigh. That’s not what it means! You don’t have to be a militant man hater to be a feminist; you just have to believe in the equality of men and women.
Other hot celebs, like Emma Watson have advocated for feminism and equality for the world. Kristen Stewart is one of those strong ladies who prove that you don’t have to be abrasive in your arguments; the majority of her commentary on the topic, in fact, has been in the forms of tiny comments slipped into her interviews. Kristen promotes other women in the media, and even helped support a program, which gave young, aspiring female screenwriters and filmmakers an opportunity to create and submit short films, set in the Twilight universe.
Here are some of Kristen Stewart’s most profound feminist moments and quotes:
She comments on the reverse-feminism trend in one interview, "I feel like some girls around my age are less inclined to say, 'Of course I'm a feminist, and of course I believe in equal rights for men and women,' because there are implications that go along with the word feminist that they feel are too in-your-face or aggressive," Stewart told the magazine. "A lot of girls nowadays are like, 'Eww, I'm not like that.' They don't get that there's no one particular way you have to be in order to stand for all of the things feminism stands for.” Kristen further asserts it’s ridiculous to say that you’re not a feminist, “That’s such a strange thing to say, isn’t it? Like, what do you mean? Do you not believe in equality for men and women?”
Kristen also stands up to defend her character Bella Swan, who has been critiqued and called a weak woman. Kristen notes that audiences would love Bella’s character if she were a man. Bella sacrifices everything for her love, and stands up physically to protect it on more than one occasion, an admirable trait for a guy!
K-Stew says she would love to play a female version of Taxi Driver, and says that feminine perspective could be unique, interesting and definitely just as entertaining.
As a guest on the Conan show, Kristen states she isn’t a fan of faugh girl-power movies. It’s not just enough to change a character’s name from “Bobby to Sue,” says Kristen. Having a girl punching guys in the face isn’t necessarily female strength; you can’t just take a Schwarzenegger movie, turn Arnold into a girl, and say that’s girl-power. In a separate interview for Snow White and the Huntsman Kristen says, “I thought it was really awesome to play in a very girl-power-y movie while still remaining a girl.”
Kristen supports and compliments other female celebrities in her interviews all the time, including Natalie Portman, Kate Winslet, Amy Adams, and Katy Perry. She says she is in awe of their talent. Girls supporting girls!!! In one interview Kristen has even said she feels “So protective of a certain thing that women have.”
I think one of the Kristen Stewart stereotypes that everyone has heard of is that she does not smile. She’s criticized in the media 24/7 because she is not cute, bubbly, and smiling all the time, which is how a woman is expected to be. Kristen comments on this double standard, saying a guy can more easily say and act how he wants and not be judged for it. But for a girl, “If you’re not cute and funny, you’re a b*tch.”
When she called out Jay Leno!!! On his show with Kristen as his guest, Leno says to the audience, “Guys, this is not a chick flick; it’s a real adventure movie.” Kristen Stewart quickly corrected him, “Which is a total chick flick, I think.” Girls can appreciate explosions and guns and gore just as much as romance and flowers, and Kristen has proved that through the variety of her roles.
Kristen doesn’t like the word “b*tch,” and called out an interviewer when he called Charlize Theron’s character in Snow White and the Huntsman one. The evil queen wasn’t a bitch, she was just evil!
When asked if she thinks there is a double standard in Hollywood, Kristen replies, “Yeah, for sure! I mean, that’s what people complain about – not having roles, like hefty roles because they’re not written for women because people don’t think they’re interesting enough or that they could do them or that they have an audience.”
Probably Kristen’s most brazen calling-out of sexism in media was her Funny or Die interview with Jessie Eisenberg, in which she asks him questions she typically is asked during interviews. These questions are very personal and obviously not relevant to the career or movie she’s working on, including: Do you have any favorite designers? Are you seeing anyone? Are you pregnant? Do your boobs ever slip out? Is that funny or awkward or do you do it on purpose? Did you get your nails done today? Are you getting any facial work done? Then, when Jessie expressed his discomfort with the questions, as Kristen has in the past, If you feel uncomfortable doing interviews that’s okay. The media tries to make Kristen feel guilty for not answering questions that are entirely irrelevant to her career, and this Stewart-Eisenberg skit illuminates the problem very well.
If you want to know what feminism is, look to people like Kristen Stewart. She isn’t aggressive or militant, and she loves men just as much as women. But that’s the point! Feminism isn’t some scary thing, it’s just the belief we should all have the same rights and be treated equally.
