HeForShe Campaign

            On Saturday, September 20, 2014, Emma Watson delivered a speech for the launch of the UN’s HeForShe campaign in New York City. The British actress is a feminist activist who believes that men have just as much to benefit from gender equality than women. Her speech on Saturday inspired many women, along with men.

            Many well developed countries, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, have adopted this type of thinking. We have laws protecting women’s rights and how we’re treated. However, there are still problems with people being prejudice towards women. Many teenage girls feel the need to be “Pretty in Pink” and “girly” just because that’s what society tells them they have to be. On the other hand, many men in today’s age have come to terms with the fact that women are just as important as men. When a man becomes a father to a little girl, they have two options. They can either accept her for who she is and love her just as much as a son, or they can disown her because of her sex. Unfortunately both of these scenarios are very much true.

            If women are not created equal to men, then vice versa is also true. Men are not created equal to women. Society has told us for many centuries that women are not muscular, they’re not strong, and their place is in the kitchen. Society has also told us that men are not vulnerable, they’re not sensitive, and their place is the garage or the gym. Men in today’s society don’t feel comfortable being themselves because that would mean showing the world that they are sensitive, and that they are capable of having feelings. Men feel as if they will be made fun of if they show their “girly” side. Men don’t feel manly if they’re sensitive because that’s what society has been engraining in our brains since day one. When women like Emma Watson give speeches about feminism, men feel as if they’re not invited into the conversation. However, Emma did something very extraordinary, that many women haven’t yet thought of. She formally extended an invitation to all men to engage in the conversation about this very controversial topic.

            In her speech, Emma makes a valid point in saying that when people think of the word Feminism, they automatically think of man-hater. Just because you want the same rights as them, doesn’t mean you have to hate the male gender as a whole. Most women’s rights activists don’t hate all men; just the men who stand in their way of freedom.

            “Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive. Both men and women should feel free to be strong. 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.” This quote also makes a good point because it’s saying that we are all humans, we all should have the same rights, and be able to express ourselves equally without any judgment. The last sentence of this quote is implying that it doesn’t matter what you look like on the outside, it’s what is on the inside that matters.

            Click Here to watch her official speech.

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