In case you missed it this week, Emma Watson bared her breasts. Kinda. Just a little peekaboo for a magazine shoot, but it was enough to get certain feminists in a tizzy. How dare Ms. Watson show her boobies! What kind of feminist participates in partial nudity? Where all the world can see it! *gasp* In true Emma Watson fashion, she gave the naysayers a great big pfffffffffffft! And she had Gloria Steinem in her corner. Take that, “good” feminists! All of this had me thinking: Who decided what constitutes good feminism and bad feminism? Why do some feminists view a sexy photo in a less-than-feminist light, while other feminists throw their fists in the air and offer up a “You go, girl!” This is just another example of how the feminist movement is far from being unified. It seems, at times, that we aren’t even on the same team.
Feminism does not bring to mind any one definition, something clear-cut to help us make a list of what a feminist does and does not do. And even inside the movement we still have marginalization of certain segments of society. While the overall consensus would seem to be that the feminist movement is about equality for women and female empowerment, we seem to be divided at times on what that equality and empowerment should look like. And how we should go about realizing those goals. Part of the problem seems to be that we all value certain issues differently. A stay-at-home mom might not be as invested in fighting for equal pay. A cisgender female who has a good job and some semblance of security might not identify with a trans female who just wants to be able to go pee in the ladies room without a ruckus. Even within this issue, there will be those who insist that trans females and their needs shouldn’t fall under the trans umbrella, while others champion for all women regardless of what the birth certificate shows.
The Emma Watson story took a turn into “racism” territory when people brought up the fact that Watson criticized Beyonce, saying Beyonce was pandering to the male gaze on her album cover. This seeming hypocrisy pissed off a few people who felt like Watson was saying that white women can be sexy and seductive–and feminist–but if a black woman does the same, she’s exhibiting bad feminism. Do I believe that Emma Watson was implying that? No, I don’t. But I do believe that the fact that some people’s minds went immediately to racial hypocrisy has to mean that there is some validity to their argument. All of this highlights the fact that until we all stop looking for things to divide us and instead look for our common threads , we will never be cohesive or effective.
Discovering Feminism 
March 11, 2017 at 1:51 am
I like Emma Watson and the things she says but sometimes I don’t think she realizes that the world is listening and that she is still kinda figuring out how to talk to reporters. This post really had me thinking…What makes a good feminist and what is a bad feminist and untimely does it matter? I think a good feminist is someone who believes in equal rights for all humans (man and women). Being a good feminist and bad feminist is opinion based. For example, in my opinion, a good feminist should be a supporter of other women and their choices even when they won’t make that choice for themselves. The fact that other people were making her seem bad is not exactly supporting her. As to the comments, she made towards Beyonce- media can twist things up, and the article and twitter clearly show all her interview. The media will find something positive or negative to say but ultimately I think everyone is in title of there opinion.
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March 21, 2017 at 5:50 am
I agree that Emma is still trying to find her way and figure out how to talk to reporters. I can’t imagine what it must be like to be so young and trying to be a “good” feminist, but then being put on the spot so often, having to think quickly about what is the right thing to say–and say it intelligently! All in all, I think she does a fairly good job (much better than I would, for sure). I was a little bit frustrated (annoyed? confused?) by her comments concerning Beyonce. It does almost seem like a double standard. One woman’s definition of sexy/classy might not be another woman’s standard. The point is to try and respect that we are all different…and different doesn’t necessarily mean one person is wrong and the other is right. Someone else mentioned that maybe the issue is because of the generational gap. Emma is quite young and Beyonce is a little bit older. Also, an album cover is somewhat different than a magazine cover. They both aim to sell a product (the woman) to the masses, but album covers often try to push the envelope as far as it will go in an effort to grab people’s attention. I guess magazine covers do the same, but certain magazines cater to a very specific audience. Emma’s photo was very artsy and a little bit upscale, so maybe that is where her unintended arrogance (if we want to call it that) comes from. It all comes back to being supportive of each other and not contributing to the “beating down” of women. Feminism should be inclusive rather than exclusionary.
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March 11, 2017 at 5:37 am
My first reaction to this whole debacle was confusion. I couldn’t figure out why people were making such a huge deal about Emma Watson’s picture and how it meant that she was a bad feminist. Last time I checked, feminism was about equality and allowing people to make their own decisions. Anyway, I definitely agree with your statement that the feminist movement is divided right now. Despite all of the marches and the recent ‘Day Without a Woman’ strike (events that would normally be thought of as steps towards progress), there is still so much conflict within the movement on how to decide who is a feminist and who can even participate. One other example is how the Pro-life feminist group was removed from the list of partners for the Women’s March on Washington. Another issue is how the transgender representation in the feminist movement is extremely lacking. This is all so disappointing because since the election there’s been such an emphasis on inclusion in the feminist movement. But then there are still these debates on who to include?! It’s issues like these that discredit and damage the movement.
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March 21, 2017 at 6:03 am
Something you said really struck home with me. You mentioned how the pro-lifers weren’t allowed to join the Women’s March on Washington, D.C. I struggle with these issues. On the one hand I’m like, “Woohoo! Let’s all band together and fight for all women!!!” But I have these almost elitist moments where I think about groups like the pro-lifers and I find myself being not-so-nice regarding their beliefs. They have an almost “If you’re not for us, you’re against us!!!” attitude, which I totally get. I do. But it would be much more beneficial if we avoided such negative, divisive thinking in favor of sentiments like, “If you’re not for us, you’re still with us!! We’re all in this together!! Right?” We operate under the idea that there is a right way and a wrong way. And shame on you if you follow or believe in the *wrong way* because we have no mercy on dissenters. Sometimes the news coming out of feminist circles is good, that we’re marching and signing petitions and appearing to band together. Then other times, the second something controversial pops up, we all choose sides and gear up for war, when the “enemy” we’re fighting is not at all what we originally thought it was. The enemy, more often than should be, is us…us “bad” feminists…
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March 12, 2017 at 2:30 pm
This was a very interesting post to me. I have watched Emma Watson in the Harry Potter series as she grew up with my girls and am planning on watching her movie Beauty and the Beast this week. So, this was a bit of a suprise to me. I still think of her as a little girl who makes movies for the young generation. She seems to me that she is just trying to find her way in the world and is having growing pains doing it. The one theme I found after reading all your very well thought out links is that she is all about “feminism is about giving women choice” and that is really what it should be about. Instead what is happening is that some of the women are using it in this way, “Feminism is not a stick with which to beat other women,” I had hope that after all this time Feminism would go back to basics and be about giving women the empowerment to have choices. Thank you so much for this article.
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April 15, 2017 at 9:43 pm
I was curious to know if you’d seen Beauty and the Beast yet, and if so, what your thoughts are on the movie, regarding feminism. She still seems so young to me in this movie. You are right, though, when you say she is still trying to find her way in the world. I remember being around her age. I had children by then, but that didn’t mean I had it all together. I still had a ton of learning to do. I feel like I didn’t truly “find myself” until I began college 8 years ago. Even then, it took me a few years to feel like I had a firm belief in who I am as a person and how I want to live my life. It bothers me when so many people criticize young women like Emma, because figuring out what you believe and who you are is a very tough, long process, and we should be proud that she is even attempting to do so (and in the public eye!). I wholeheartedly agree with your statement that feminism is more about choice, that we should not try to restrict it to what is right or wrong or good or bad; but that we should try to respect and appreciate what other women are trying to do to lead empowered, fulfilled lives. Our culture is so criticism-based that we don’t do enough “lifting up” and offering positive feedback or constructive criticism. Sadly, women can be the worst when it comes to tearing each other down and letting jealousy divide us rather than bring us together.
Thank you for your thoughtful reply and comments. I always enjoy reading what you have to say. 🙂
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March 20, 2017 at 4:36 pm
I love Emma Watson, but her statements about Beyonce are verging (if not already there) on hypocritical. She can’t assume that men will look at Beyonce’s album cover as lustful, whereas they will look at her recent picture as “artsy” and feminist. This reminds me of two other celebrities that are often pitted against one another (at least in my conversations with colleagues): Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga. Both have worn scantily-clad outfits, and both preach that women can do whatever they want. Most of my colleagues think Miley Cyrus is annoying and needs to cover up, whereas others see Lady Gaga as an artist (or “artsy”) who uses her body to send out her messages. But isn’t Miley Cyrus doing the same thing? Is it an age difference between the two (or maturity level)? I don’t know if I have the answer to that question, but we are being hypocritical if we use different judgments on people who are doing the same thing. I know that I have my own biases about Beyonce: I personally do not like her music or the lyrics in them, but I respect her for her art and doing what she wants.
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