FEMMA
Happy International Women's Day to all of the strong, beautiful, courageous women of the world! May we continue to stride in the footsteps of our predecessors with our heads held just as high, our cries just as powerful, and our grace just as earth-shattering.
Feminism, by definition, is the belief that women should be treated equally to their male counterparts on political, social, and economic grounds. This would involve the disestablishment of our patriarchal society, and deconstructing many complicated structures at play in our society, such as the wage gap, health care such as abortion rights, job distributions amongst the sexes, etc. Feminism is primarily based on giving women the right to choose how they want to function in society rather than abiding to the burdens female stigmas and gender roles give them, as well as women wanting to be treated with the same respect, integrity, and honour that men are granted at birth. More and more women around the world are realising the gravity of their oppression under patriarchal rule thanks to the growing platform of feminism, and are standing up to their governments, demanding that they be given the right to choose their own destiny, and advance to positions of power rather than settle for being inferior to men simply because they were born women. Who, after all, decided that the 'XX' chromosome combination was inferior to the 'XY' combination? This is the stigma that must be challenged. And this is what feminism aims to eradicate: That women are the weaker sex, and that's just the way it is, the way it has to be, and the way it always will be.
Emma Watson is a world-renowned British actress, humanitarian and feminist. In July 2014, she was appointed Women Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations, and became one of the leading voices in the HeForShe Campaign aimed at ending gender inequality. She gained even more popularity, and criticism, when it was revealed that she had been chosen to play the role of Belle in the remake of the Disney classic, Beauty And The Beast. However, quite recently, her name has been circling tabloids, Facebook feeds, and Twitter timelines for entirely different reasons: Her role in her photoshoot for Vanity Fair magazine. In a particular shot she posed, not entirely provocatively, with the underside of her breasts exposed from her outfit. This naturally caused an uproar amongst her followers, the feminist community, gossip columnists, and those who longed for nothing more than a juicy story to mould into a weapon, and destroy the position of power of an esteemed, eloquent young woman.
The Internet went ballistic, as only the Internet can. People began to question what Emma Watson's true values were. They questioned what feminism really stood for. After all, how could a woman who is at the forefront of a political movement demanding that women be taken seriously, appear with her breasts peaking out in a photoshoot of an international magazine?
The question in bold above exposes the mentality of people who are offended by Emma Watson's photoshoot. These are the people who remain ignorant to the fact that there is absolutely no correlation between what a woman chooses to do with her body, and the feminist agenda. That is the beauty of feminism: It is about granting women the power of CHOICE WITHOUT SCRUTINY. Women thought of as 'sluts' because they may engage in casual sex, sell their bodies, or the like, can still be feminists because they want to be empowered with the right to choose that lifestyle, and still be taken seriously. Similarly, women thought of as 'prudes' because they may abstain from sex, cover their bodies, or the like, can also still be feminists because they too want to be empowered with the right to choose that lifestyle, and still be taken seriously.
In the case of Miss Watson, our society is asking her to choose between being the voice of the feminist movement, and being a woman in control of her body and sexuality. By criticising her choice to reveal a part of her body that is considered a sexual organ, they are saying that the two are mutually exclusive. You can either be a feminist fighting for women's empowerment, or you can empower your body, and do with it what you will. But, you cannot be both. You cannot be both a feminist and show your body, and be a respectable woman. The two together don't allow it.
It seems as though, even in 2017, our society cannot fathom that a woman can be both in tune with her body and sexuality AND promote gender equality at the same time. Asking Emma Watson to be the one but not the other denies her the right to be a whole woman, and a whole human being. By telling her that she can't show the underside of her breasts, you are taking away her power over her own body, and her choice to use it how she wants. And by taking away her power to choose her body's destiny, you are creating a roadblock for gender equality, because you are turning the female body into something that is so taboo that in order for a woman to be taken seriously, it cannot be shown, unlike men who don't face the same obstacles. And by creating a roadblock for gender equality, you are knocking down everything that feminism is built on. By telling Emma Watson that she can't show the underside of her breasts in a magazine spread, you are denying her the right to choose her body's destiny. You are denying her the right to empower herself as a young woman.
Feminism, by definition, is the belief that women should be treated equally to their male counterparts on political, social, and economic grounds. This would involve the disestablishment of our patriarchal society, and deconstructing many complicated structures at play in our society, such as the wage gap, health care such as abortion rights, job distributions amongst the sexes, etc. Feminism is primarily based on giving women the right to choose how they want to function in society rather than abiding to the burdens female stigmas and gender roles give them, as well as women wanting to be treated with the same respect, integrity, and honour that men are granted at birth. More and more women around the world are realising the gravity of their oppression under patriarchal rule thanks to the growing platform of feminism, and are standing up to their governments, demanding that they be given the right to choose their own destiny, and advance to positions of power rather than settle for being inferior to men simply because they were born women. Who, after all, decided that the 'XX' chromosome combination was inferior to the 'XY' combination? This is the stigma that must be challenged. And this is what feminism aims to eradicate: That women are the weaker sex, and that's just the way it is, the way it has to be, and the way it always will be.
Emma Watson is a world-renowned British actress, humanitarian and feminist. In July 2014, she was appointed Women Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations, and became one of the leading voices in the HeForShe Campaign aimed at ending gender inequality. She gained even more popularity, and criticism, when it was revealed that she had been chosen to play the role of Belle in the remake of the Disney classic, Beauty And The Beast. However, quite recently, her name has been circling tabloids, Facebook feeds, and Twitter timelines for entirely different reasons: Her role in her photoshoot for Vanity Fair magazine. In a particular shot she posed, not entirely provocatively, with the underside of her breasts exposed from her outfit. This naturally caused an uproar amongst her followers, the feminist community, gossip columnists, and those who longed for nothing more than a juicy story to mould into a weapon, and destroy the position of power of an esteemed, eloquent young woman.
The Internet went ballistic, as only the Internet can. People began to question what Emma Watson's true values were. They questioned what feminism really stood for. After all, how could a woman who is at the forefront of a political movement demanding that women be taken seriously, appear with her breasts peaking out in a photoshoot of an international magazine?
The question in bold above exposes the mentality of people who are offended by Emma Watson's photoshoot. These are the people who remain ignorant to the fact that there is absolutely no correlation between what a woman chooses to do with her body, and the feminist agenda. That is the beauty of feminism: It is about granting women the power of CHOICE WITHOUT SCRUTINY. Women thought of as 'sluts' because they may engage in casual sex, sell their bodies, or the like, can still be feminists because they want to be empowered with the right to choose that lifestyle, and still be taken seriously. Similarly, women thought of as 'prudes' because they may abstain from sex, cover their bodies, or the like, can also still be feminists because they too want to be empowered with the right to choose that lifestyle, and still be taken seriously.
In the case of Miss Watson, our society is asking her to choose between being the voice of the feminist movement, and being a woman in control of her body and sexuality. By criticising her choice to reveal a part of her body that is considered a sexual organ, they are saying that the two are mutually exclusive. You can either be a feminist fighting for women's empowerment, or you can empower your body, and do with it what you will. But, you cannot be both. You cannot be both a feminist and show your body, and be a respectable woman. The two together don't allow it.
It seems as though, even in 2017, our society cannot fathom that a woman can be both in tune with her body and sexuality AND promote gender equality at the same time. Asking Emma Watson to be the one but not the other denies her the right to be a whole woman, and a whole human being. By telling her that she can't show the underside of her breasts, you are taking away her power over her own body, and her choice to use it how she wants. And by taking away her power to choose her body's destiny, you are creating a roadblock for gender equality, because you are turning the female body into something that is so taboo that in order for a woman to be taken seriously, it cannot be shown, unlike men who don't face the same obstacles. And by creating a roadblock for gender equality, you are knocking down everything that feminism is built on. By telling Emma Watson that she can't show the underside of her breasts in a magazine spread, you are denying her the right to choose her body's destiny. You are denying her the right to empower herself as a young woman.
You are denying her the right to be a feminist.
Feminism is about empowering women in all aspects of life. It is about giving women the power to be heard, the power to make a change, and the power to have the right to choose their destiny without fear of scrutiny. As I have said, modesty empowers some women, and nudity empowers other women. It is not your position to ridicule them either way, because it is their choice what kind of lifestyle they want to lead. This is why feminism is so pure and beautiful. It tells women, "Hey, you can be whoever you want to be, and guess what? For the first time in your life, you don't have to be judged for your choices, because you are empowered to make those choices!"
Sure, many may see this situation as ironic, because Emma Watson has chosen to do this photoshoot, and yet many feminists, such as herself, are triggered by men sexualising women's bodies in the media. Wouldn't she fear the same? Wouldn't she fear the power she holds over her body falling into the wrong hands, and being used against her? Wouldn't she have thought this through beforehand? These are valid arguments. But, if you look deeper into the Vanity Fair photoshoot, you'll see how it empowers Watson's feminist agenda further rather than making her an object of sexual desire.
Instead of giving men and the media the power to sexualise her body, she is giving her body the power to push feminism. She is seen as a woman taking ownership of her body and sexuality in a society which dictates that women shouldn't. Many women are taught from childhood that men shall always assume leadership positions, that little girls should be polite and quiet in order for boys to grow and lead the way, and that as we grow older, we must submit to the voices of the magazines, television, and radio telling us that we are not beautiful, but we will be if we just train stronger, diet harder, starve longer, and age slower. Early feminists wanted to be recognised for mind over body, but in today's modern society we understand that empowering the one aspect over the other denies the wholeness of a woman as a human being. Modern technology, advertising agencies, and consumer culture dictate to us who we should be, rather than granting us the choice that feminism does. We are deprived of the right to empower ourselves, to eat food that we want to nourish us, to love our bodies in their natural form, to live freely and happily, because if we did this, we would require a lot less from society to be happy. So we are pushed against our will to strive towards this unattainable goal of perfection by trying diet fads, training programmes, and fitness challenges.
Emma Watson, in a single photograph, is breaking this cycle. She is seen as taking ownership and pride over her body, and is therefore embracing herself as a whole being, and as a woman in charge of both her mind and body. She is showing teenagers, young women, and adults that it is okay to bear your body with pride, and there is nothing wrong with challenging society's rules. She is staring down the face of patriarchy as if to say "Does my empowerment offend you?" This is a strong message for young feminists all around the world to embrace both mind and body, and to learn to empower both through feminism.
What Watson's picture has inadvertently done is challenge the idea that a woman cannot be sexually attractive and politically powerful at the same time. This is how we aim to empower women through the feminist movement.
A single photograph has challenged an entire stigma. A single woman has stared down the glare of the patriarchy. So, if you think a pair of breasts herald the downfall of feminism, you're seriously mistaken. To our dear Watson, all of this is elementary.
XO
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