So you kind of know what #HeForShe is, but not really. You're aware that the ultimate QUEEN, Emma Watson, is the face behind the gender-equality campaign but you're not exactly sure how it came about. You think it has something to do with the UN, but you're not positive on any of these facts. No worries, it's never too late to learn about such an amazing movement.
According to the HeForShe's mission page, "Created by UN Women, the United Nations entity for gender equality and the empowerment of women, the HeForShe solidarity movement for gender equality provides a systematic approach and targeted platform on which men and boys can engage and become change agents towards the achievement of gender equality. Achieving gender equality in our lifetime requires an innovative, inclusive approach that both recognizes men and boys as partners for women’s rights, and acknowledges the ways in which they also benefit from this equality. HeForShe invites men and boys to build on the work of the women’s movement as equal partners, creating and implementing a shared vision of gender equality that will benefit all of humanity."
Phew. That was a lot but for good reason. Essentially, HeForShe aims to involve as many men as possible in the cause for gender equality. Being a feminist doesn't require being a female. Being a feminist requires believing in the ideal that women and men are equals, in every sense of the word.
There's a lot of times in America's history that its citizens aren't proud of, but women not casting their own ballots for so long is one of those times. Now, the first female presidential candidate is not only running, but leading the race. No matter who you vote for in November, that shows progress. HeForShe's goal is to continue that progress, but with the support of boys and men around the world.
U.N. Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson spoke before the U.N. at its headquarters in New York last week and specifically discussed campus assault and gender inequality at universities, two issues very relevant in the lives of college students today.
Watson praised her alma mater Brown University for empowering her but used that as a transition to ask what other schools around the world were implementing in their platforms so as to empower their female students.
“What if our experience in university shows us that women don’t belong in leadership? What if it shows us that, yes, women can study, but they shouldn’t lead a seminar?” she said. “What if, as is the case in far too many universities, we are given the message that sexual violence isn’t actually a form of violence?’’Watson also discussed the HeForShe IMPACT Report, which plans out 10 global universities' "concrete commitments and begin charting their progress toward achieving gender parity."
HeForShe is so important because it is finally shedding light on an issue that refuses to be ignored any longer - gender inequality. The United States has made much progress over its history, but still has way more steps to take. Other countries around the world aren't as progressive, and this action within the U.N. will help those places become so. Join the campaign today to help make a difference, man or woman.
