I was casually walking home the other day, when suddenly I see Emma Watson coming out of a side door at Lincoln Center, making her way to a big black Cadillac Escalade. She was attending the New York premiere of Beauty and the Beast.
She was even more beautiful than in any magazine or photograph I've seen. Why? She was a real human being. She walked with such dignity and grace. I really think the dictionary definition of elegance should just be "Emma Watson", because there is no better way to describe her aura than, well, just, elegance.
She was so genuine with the people who had gathered to see her, greeting everyone with eye contact and a very classy "hello". Until a group of guys started shouting her name, calling her out for looking like Emma Watson, trying to shove signs in her face to get an autograph, yelling at her in their aggressively flirtatious voices.
Her face suddenly changed. And her generous beam turned into an awkward hint of a smile, and in that moment I saw her feel that worthless feeling of shame that I feel every time a random guy on the street calls me an adjective or glares at me with that intrusive 'I wanna bang you' face. I saw her feel treated like an object, a brand, a piece of meat for other people to reflect and realize their own dreams and aspirations in. And in that moment, I felt with her that same inner fight I always feel in those moments: feeling dehumanized and unsafe while trying to embody a powerful woman who believes in her self worth. I could see her vulnerability. And I could see how it changed her walk. Not into a slouched embarrassed stroll, but into an even more elegant powerful stride. Her face showed vulnerability and fear, yet her body showed purpose and power within that vulnerability.
And in that moment she deeply inspired me. To realize that she and I and all other women are connected through these experiences. To see someone who has these encounters on an infinitely wider scale than most of us other women. Exposing her vulnerability and turning it into elegance! Wow.
It made me realize again that we're really all the same; we're all just humans. We always look at these celebrities as our samples for perfection, but they really just feel the same things we do, and there's no reason why any of us can't be our own Emma Watson. I feel more empowered than ever to find beauty and power in vulnerability.
The other day, I saw the most beautiful woman on earth, and what made her most beautiful was her imperfection.
