Emma Watson held a Q&A at Facebook's HQ in London as part of her HeForShe campaign. These are the brilliant and inspiring things she had to say.
Emma Watson is fast becoming one of the most inspiring young women in the world. Having launched the HeForShe campaign in 2014, with a speech so rousing and brilliant it went viral, the UN Goodwill Ambassador for Women took part in a Q&A at Facebook's London HQ yesterday to mark International Women's Day.
From chivalry being sexist to that naked photo hoax, these were her five most inspiring moments:
Feminism isn't just for women.
'Men think it’s a women’s word. But what it means is that you believe in equality, and if you stand for equality, then you’re a feminist. Sorry to tell you. You’re a feminist. You’re a feminist. That’s it.'
Women should be chivalrous too.
'I love having the door opened for me,' Emma said talking to host Greg James. 'Isn’t that just polite? Isn’t that just a nice thing to do for someone else? And I love being taken out to dinner. So great. But I think the key is, would you then mind if I open the door for you? Then I’m polite, and you’re polite, then we’re making the world a better place with this small, kind, polite gesture. Chivalry is consensual and only becomes a problem when people expect things to be certain way and follow status quo.'
The HeForShe campaign isn’t about men rescuing women.
'I think that’s a misunderstanding. Women are already in the club, because it’s our movement. It’s an equality club, for both genders. It’s about men coming in support of women and women coming in support of men. Gloria Steinem gave a speech last week at a HeForShe event in New York, and she used this really beautiful metaphor. She said that the human race is like a bird and it needs both of its wings to be able to fly. And at the moment, one of its wings is clipped. And we’re never going to be able to fly as high unless we’re both in support of each other.'
Gender inequality begins when we're children.
'I think it starts young with girls and boys being told what they have to be. It can be really damaging. It’s a problem with education and I hope, in the not too distant future, we will be horrified rather than mildly irked. Don’t let anyone tell you what you can and can’t do or achieve. Do what you want to do and be who you want to be. Just encourage and include each other, don’t ostracise the gender in front of you.'
Britain is not leading by example when it comes to gender equality.
'Britain is meant to be one of biggest most progressive democracies in world, we should be leading the way but we’re straggling behind. After I gave my speech [at the UN] there was a website threatening to release naked pictures of me. I knew it was a hoax but I think a lot of people that were close to me knew gender equality was an issue but didn’t think it was that urgent, that it was a thing of the past. I was raging, it made me so angry, I was like, this is why I have to be doing this. If anything, if they were trying to put me off it, it did the opposite.'
Here are 26 more great feminist quotes that will make you proud to be a woman.