Emma Watson Nearly Wiped The Word ‘Feminism’ From Her U.N Speech

Emma Watson was appointed U.N. Women Goodwill Ambassador last year, so it may come as a shock to hear that she came close to removing the word ‘feminism’ from her speech to the United Nations.

In an interview with Porter magazine for this month’s issue, the 25-year-old revealed she was encouraged not to use the ‘F’ word. But after careful consideration she listened to her gut feeling and reinserted the term into her speech.

‘I was encouraged not to use the word feminism,’ Watson said. ‘People felt that it was alienating and separating and the whole idea of the speech was to include as many people as possible.

‘I thought long and hard and ultimately felt that it was just the right thing to do. If women are terrified to use the word, how on earth are men supposed to start using it?’

The actress gave the impassioned talk on feminism and gender at the U.N. headquarters in New York last year to launch the ‘HeForShe’ movement. The campaign aimed to motivate one billion men and boys as advocates for ending the inequalities that women and girls face globally.

In the* Porter* interview Watson went on to say how playing Hermione Granger for more than ten years meant it was sometimes hard to distinguish where the character ended and she began. But now, the actress, model and activist reveals for the first time in her life she’s found a ‘sense of self’ that she’s comfortable with.



‘[I’ve] spent more than half of my life pretending to be someone else,’ she explained. ‘While my contemporaries were dyeing their hair and figuring out who they were, I was figuring out who Hermione was and how best to portray her. Now at 25, for the first time in my life I feel like I have a sense of self that I’m comfortable with. I actually do have things that I want to say and I want to be my most authentic self.

‘I don't want there to be a big separation between the public and the private person. It's definitely the harder road to tread but without a doubt, ultimately the most rewarding. It sounds like a ridiculous thing to say but I'm very interested in truth.’

- Anna Silverman