Emma Watson on How the Criticism of Her Activism Affected Her
For the last couple of years, Emma Watson has emerged as one of the most vocal actresses-turned-activists for women's rights. Her UN Women HeforShe speeches have gone viral-and have attracted both praise and criticism of Watson. Some dismissed her as a white, privileged feminist, whose program HeforShe was trying to make men the saviors of oppressed women, she told ELLE UK in its March issue. Those remarks deeply affected her.
In her year off from acting, Watson focused on studying feminist literature (she even started a book club for everyone to join) and her work with HeforShe, and that "really toughened me up," she said. "There is a level of criticism that comes with being an actress and a public figure, which I expect, but once you take a stance on something like feminism, that's a completely different ball game. There were a couple of days when I just didn't want to come out from under the duvet. At first, I wasn't sure if I should allow myself to be upset by it, but then I realized I needed to give myself 24 hours to sulk, and then move forward. I got a lot of support from other feminist voices, too. Laura Bates [of Everyday Sexism] sent me a care package with sequins and glitter, notes of encouragement and chocolate, which more or less said, 'Don't let the bastards grind you down.' I had to remind myself that the criticism wasn't personal and it was par for the course."
Some of the attacks from other feminists really shook her, Watson admitted. "It's difficult to hear criticism from people you consider your peers and who you believe are on the same side. But, you know, I just carried on, and some of the stuff made me more thoughtful and questioning of my approach. But some of it you just have to not engage with, and you become more robust. And, of course, sometimes you just have to laugh at the absurdity of it all. Feminism can be humorous, and we all have a different way of approaching that. I often wonder what mischief I can make to spread the word in a playful way. You can't take everything in life seriously, can you?"
These days, "I'm not sure I care too much now what people think; it's more I don't live up to my own expectations," Watson said. "This is exhausting. I certainly feel that, after this year off, I care much less about offending people or trying to make everyone around me comfortable all the time. You know, sometimes you have to do what you have to do, and you will live."
And the actress definitely does not consider herself an expert anyway, nor is she ready to write any book about her experience. "I need to see and do a bit more first," she said. "It's not like I have been reading this material for years, and I don't have an encyclopedic knowledge. It can be a lot of pressure sometimes, as people expect me to know so much. I'm no expert, and when people push me into a corner of 'here's Emma Watson to lecture you on feminism', it's uncomfortable because I am aware I have a long way to go. I am not sure I deserve all the respect I get yet, but I'm working on it."
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