Emma Watson was a moderator for the HeForShe IMPACT 10x10x10 Parity Report Launch at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. You can watch the full launch presentation and download the report from HeForShe.
Emma with Jakob Trollback, Paul Polman, Adam Bain, Hannah Godefa and Freida Pinto.
In the following video Emma Watson introduces the new HeForShe.org website as the “first crowd-sourcing tool for solutions to gender equality”. She also talks about Our Shared Shelf, her new book club on Goodreads.
Emma Watson has started a Feminist book club on the “book networking” website Goodreads. After asking fans on twitter to suggest names she chose Our Shared Shelf and her book club went live on Thursday. The ‘club’ is a public group on Goodreads, open to any registered member.
Dear Readers,
As part of my work with UN Women, I have started reading as many books and essays about equality as I can get my hands on. There is so much amazing stuff out there! Funny, inspiring, sad, thought-provoking, empowering! I’ve been discovering so much that, at times, I’ve felt like my head was about to explode… I decided to start a Feminist book club, as I want to share what I’m learning and hear your thoughts too.
The plan is to select and read a book every month, then discuss the work during the month’s last week (to give everyone time to read it!). I will post some questions/quotes to get things started, but I would love for this to grow into an open discussion with and between you all. Whenever possible I hope to have the author, or another prominent voice on the subject, join the conversation.
If you fancy it, please join up and participate. Everyone is welcome. I would be honoured!
Emma x
Emma Watson interviewed Malala Yousafzai at the opening of her documentary film He Named me Malala at the Into Film Festival. Emma posted a message on her facebook page, and a video of the interview. By the time she was a teenager, Malala was a women’s rights activist speaking out against the Taliban’s efforts to exclude girls from school. In 2012 Malala was shot and nearly killed in an assassination attempt. After recovering, she has become a global voice advocating for girl’s education.
Today I met Malala. She was giving, utterly graceful, compelling and intelligent. That might sound obvious but I was struck by this even more in person. There are lots of NGOs out there in the world doing great things… But if there were one I would put my money on to succeed and make change on this planet, it would be hers. (The Malala Fund). Malala isn’t messing around or mincing her words (one of the many reasons I love her). She has the strength of her convictions coupled with the kind of determination I rarely encounter… And it doesn’t seem to have been diminished by the success she has already had. And lastly…She has a sense of peace around her. I leave this for last because it is perhaps the most important. Maybe as a result of what she has been through? I personally think it is just who she is…
Perhaps the most moving moment of today for me was when Malala addressed the issue of feminism. To give you some background, I had initially planned to ask Malala whether or not she was a feminist but then researched to see whether she had used this word to describe herself. Having seen that she hadn’t, I decided to take the question out before the day of our interview. To my utter shock Malala put the question back into one of her own answers and identified herself. Maybe feminist isn’t the easiest word to use… But she did it ANYWAY. You can probably see in the interview how I felt about this. She also gave me time at the end of the Q&A to speak about some of my own work, which she most certainly didn’t need to do, I was there to interview her. I think this gesture is so emblematic of what Malala and I went on to discuss. I’ve spoken before on what a controversial word feminism is currently. More recently, I am learning what a factionalized movement it is too. We are all moving towards the same goal. Let’s not make it scary to say you’re a feminist. I want to make it a welcoming and inclusive movement. Let’s join our hands and move together so we can make real change. Malala and I are pretty serious about it but we need you.
With love, Emma x
Emma Watson leads a discussion about Fashion on Gender Equality in this video from Vogue magazine.
UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson answered audience questions about HeForShe and gender equality in an hour long conversation with BBC1 Radio’s Greg James on Sunday March 8. The event honoring International Women’s Day streamed live on facebook from London.
Emma Watson announced via her facebook page that she will be conducting a live question and answer session on Gender Equality this Sunday, 8 March. See her message for an opportunity to be a member of the audience. For everyone else, the event will be live streamed on facebook.
I hope you’ll join me on Sunday 8th of March at 1PM NYC/5PM London-time for a conversation about He For She and Gender Equality, live on Facebook. If you’re in London and would like to be there in person, tell me how you are making a personal impact to advance gender equality. Please submit your story, here: http://goo.gl/forms/dRzVjsdNSR, by 12PM London-time on Wednesday 4th of March and you could be selected to attend this special event as an audience member! Em x
Emma Watson launched the HeForShe IMPACT 10X10X10 Initiative on Friday speaking at the Davos World Economic Forum.
“The groundswell of response we have received in support for HeForShe tells us we are tapping into what the world wants: to be a part of change. Now we have to channel that energy into purposeful action. The pilot initiative provides that framework. Next we need all country leadership, as well as that of hundreds of universities and corporations to follow HeForShe’s IMPACT 10x10x10 so as to bring an end to the persisting inequalities faced by women and girls globally,” said Emma Watson, UN Women Global Goodwill Ambassador.
This Friday Emma Watson will attend an unveiling of a new HeForShe campaign.
Thanks Roberto
Emma Watson was voted the top feminist of the year in a poll by Ms. Foundation for Women and Cosmopolitan for her work towards gender equality with the He for She program as UN Women Goodwill Ambassador.
“We celebrate all feminists every day, but today we’re giving a hat tip to celebrities who are helping to promote women’s equality. Every celebrity on the list has either embraced the term ‘feminist,’ spoken out for women’s equal rights, or battled against sexist oppression.” – Teresa Younger, Ms. Foundation President and CEO
The top 10 feminists, in order, are Emma Watson, Laverne Cox, Rachel Maddow, Beyoncé, Cher, Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Meryl Streep, Mindy Kaling and Ann Curry.
Calendar by Elena
