Celebrities and feminism

Recently, there has been a lot of talk about Emma Watson's UN speech as Women Goodwill Ambassador. There's been varied responses and it's got me thinking about celebrities and the issue of feminism as a whole. Celebrities such as Beyonce have been criticised for using feminism as a trend and some people believe that the likes of Emma Watson should be pushing more radical ideas.

My initial thought is that surely any exposure from celebrities for an important cause like feminism is good! Having a role model like Emma Watson not being afraid to speak out as a feminist is really great, it shows young women who may look up to her that it is okay to be against sexism and to point out problems in society. Celebrities talking about feminism means that people who may otherwise not be interested in it, will listen to it and perhaps learn something from them. It is a good thing for the cause and much better than the female celebrities who are refusing to use the dreaded 'f word.'

But, should celebrities be talking about more radical issues? It has been said that Emma Watson offered nothing new in her speech. She reiterated what many feminists have been saying for years - feminism is not about man hating, it is about equality, issues with the word 'bossy'. Shouldn't Watson be using her position to say something new? Well maybe yes but at least she's saying something!

What about this whole HeForShe campaign? In Watson's speech, she addressed the issue of men being judged by stereotypes of masculinity, not valued for their parental role and such. She points out that it is in men's interests that we gain equality too. This is an important point to make. But this campaign is described as “a solidarity movement for gender equality that brings together one half of humanity in support of the other of humanity, for the entirety of humanity.” So essentially it seeks to get men in on the women's rights movement. I have a bit of a problem with this to be honest. I'm all for men supporting feminism and gender equality. However, having this whole campaign surrounding the issue seems odd considering other more important things that need addressing.

Watson could have taken the time to talk of the severe injustices faced by women outside the western world. One reason many women refuse to identify with feminism is because they believe that we already have equality. It would have been more impressive for this UN ambassador to address these issues to get people on board with feminism. Equal pay, for example, is a really important thing but in comparison with sexual exploitation and child brides, it's just not as vital to be addressed.

I'm rambling, sorry. I think Emma Watson's speech was pretty fantastic. I think celebrities advocating feminism is really good for the cause, it promotes it and teaches young women more about it and makes them want to learn more. I just wish they'd say something different, that they would not be so afraid to speak about some bigger issues.