Speech: Emma Watson HeForShe
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On September 20, 2014 United Nations Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson gave a powerful speech on gender equality that helped launch her HeForShe gender equality campaign. The aim of the event is to "mobilize men against gender inequalities."
Below are some excerpts highlighted from her speech:
"For the record, feminism, by definition, is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. It is the theory of the political, economical and social equality of the sexes."
(Indent or right justify and change color of text for all annotations so the difference between excerpts of her speech and what I wrote are easily seen)
Watson opens by clarifying the meaning of feminism which has been associated with man-hating and women empowerment overtime when that is clearly not the case.
"When I was 8, I was confused about being called 'bossy' because I wanted to direct the plays that we would put on for our parents. But the boys were not. When at 14, I started to be sexualized by certain elements of the media, when at 15, my girlfriends started dropping out of their beloved sports teams, because they didn't want to appear 'muscle-y,' when at 18, my male friends were unable to express their feelings, I decided that I was a feminist. And this seems uncomplicated to me. But my recent research has shown me that feminism has become an unpopular word."
Here she provides examples that women and girls of all ethnicities can relate to in one way or another. Being too strong, too aggressive, isolating, anti-men and, unattractive in expression is apparently frowned upon in society if done by women. Why? Gender roles outline how men and women should be have based off what has been accepted in popular culture, but, gender roles are out-dated and what should be acceptable globally is only in its infancy of being accepted meaning we have a long way to go. As a female myself, I can identify with Ambassador Watson on the double standards of society because I too have faced similar situations. I am in total agreement that women not only deserve equality of their counterparts on the grounds of payment, decision-making, and respect but they should expect it.
"Men, I would like to take this opportunity to extend your formal invitation. Gender equality is your issue too. Because to date, I've seen my father's role as a parent being valued less by society despite my needing his presence, as a child, as much as my mother's. I've seen young men suffering from mental illness, unable to ask for help, for fear it would make them less of a men—or less of a man. In fact, in the U.K., suicide is the biggest killer of men, between 20 to 49, eclipsing road accidents, cancer and coronary heart disease. I've seen men made fragile and insecure by a distorted sense of what constitutes male success. Men don't have the benefits of equality, either."
The mention of inequalities men face is vital in her speech. Much of what men suppress or fail to express is overlooked and mostly because society is not accepting of it or it will hurt the male image. Men should be afforded the right to ask for help without seeming weak, to be a care-giver displaying an array of emotions towards loved ones without demeaning their masculinity, and become successful not on a society's standard.
"We don't want to talk about men being imprisoned by gender stereotypes but I can see that they are. When they are free, things will change for women as a natural consequence. If men don't have to be aggressive, women won't be compelled to be submissive. If men don't need to control, women won't have to be controlled."
Women breaking stereotypes and achieving equality is dependent upon whether or not men break the stereotypes that have imprisoned them. Because society is dominated by the male it is imperative that they see the impact gender equality has on them in order for any real change to occur.
"It is time that we all see gender as a spectrum instead of two sets of opposing ideals. We should stop defining each other by what we are not and start defining ourselves by who we are. We can all be freer and this is what HeForShe is about. It's about freedom. I want men to take up this mantle so their daughters, sisters and mothers can be free from prejudice but also so their sons have permission to be vulnerable and human, too and in doing so, be a more true and complete version of themselves."
We must see how everything in this world is connected one way or another. The only way for change to happen is if people hold themselves accountable and decide that making circumstances better for others will in turn make life better for themselves and the world.
If you would like to join the solidarity movement click here http://www.heforshe.org and take action.
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