Will Emma Watson change opinions on feminism?

I am convinced that the form of launching the action was very proper: the official speach held in the New York office was for me a much more appropriate tool than some crazy, not-so-funny vine, stupid meme or annoying Facebook post, for something as serious as the UN should be as an organization and serious as the problem actually is. And when I say "the problem" I'm not referring to the lack of promotion of feminism as such. The real problem is letting discrimination exist (still!) in our so-called "modern society”.

 A touching speech

Some might say the speech was too pathetic, but the truth is it was rather emotional. And it was supposed to be! Any kind or form of discrimination affects our feelings. Being excluded or abandoned in the 21st century, the era in which a large network is a „must-have”, can be more painful as it has ever been. And it is good to admit that all of us experienced it.

So why I am really in love with her speech? Because it was very universal. First, because by sharing a story based on the actress’s own experience is still very close to our own experiences and it is therefore easy to identify with it. Second, by pointing out that the level at which the discussion in held should be adjusted to each region, all facing a different scale of that problem. Watson highlights that she is grateful for living in a country where women don’t have to fight for certain rights like an equal salary, an access to education or politics, which have already been recognized some time ago. Third, thanks to a message addressed to men, she in fact has delivered a special invitation. I found it very touching, because of the promise she gave: a vision of a world where everyone could find their own way to behave in a society, where there wouldn’t be any need to fit into the role of the more or less powerful.

The figure of Emma Watson

Emma Watson is in fact a very good campaign face for this action. She represents a young generation of girls who are not afraid of their beliefs. Apart from that, she has a quite impressing educational background which proves that the „face” can also be a real part of the program - her speech has shown that Watson deeply understand the main goals of action.

Of course I would have preferred to have both genders represented at the opening ceremony. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if that was due to the fact that it wasn’t easy to find anyone else. Being a part of popculture should in fact help to reach out to a wider group of people. Politicians often are considered to be boring, feminist movement leaders to be out of space, and random people, well simply not worth our time.

More efforts are needed

Despite the fame, it is still very hard to get to the audience. Just because Watson has a label of a „star”, the news about launching 'He for She' was reported by the majority of tabloids in the „celebrities & gossips” section. Therefore, there is a string possibility that the potential of the campaign’s promotion actions won’t be maximised. Why has the media not recognised this event to be anything more than a simple celebrity event?

Maybe because people are just not ready to hear about the idea of modern feminism in 21st century, as described by Emma Watson? Wouldn't that then be the best arguments in favour of spreading the word?