Last week, I covered Emma Watson’s Vanity Fair cover profile for the April issue. The above photo is part of photographer Tim Walker’s editorial with Emma, and the photo was published in the magazine and online. It’s a striking, pretty image from a pretty decent VF photoshoot. But because people are absolute THE WORST not to mention STUPID AS HELL, Emma was criticized for this particular photo. You’ll never guess why. It’s because she’s a feminist and she chose to pose for a photo with some underboob. As everyone knows, Real Feminists can never show cleavage or underboob. Real Feminists must always wear turtlenecks. Real Feminists must shun their sexuality. Real Feminists always body-police themselves and others. Boobs = Misogyny!!! Or, you know, one thing doesn’t have anything to do with the other. Anyway, dumbasses were freaking out about Emma’s underboob and it got so bad that Emma actually had to speak about it to Reuters.
Emma Watson is slamming critics who suggested that posing with her breasts partially exposed for a recent Vanity Fair photo shoot was hypocritical of her feminist views. The Beauty and the Beast star, 26, sat down with Reuters to address to controversy, stating that feminism was all about choice.
“It just always reveals to me how many misconceptions and what a misunderstanding there is about what feminism is,” said the UN Women Goodwill Ambassador and pioneer of the #HeForShe campaign. “Feminism is about giving women choice. Feminism is not a stick with which to beat other women with. It’s about freedom, it’s about liberation, it’s about equality. I really don’t know what my t—s have to do with it. It’s very confusing. I’m confused. Most people are confused. No, I’m just always just quietly stunned.”
In one shot from the Vanity Fair issue, photographed by acclaimed fashion photographer Tim Walker, Watson posed topless with a white shawl draped over her shoulders, sparking backlash from some critics.
“Emma Watson: ‘Feminism, feminism… gender wage gap… why oh why am I not taken seriously… feminism… oh, and here are my tits!’ ” wrote one radio host on Twitter.
“We’d been doing so many crazy things on that shoot but it felt incredibly artistic and I’ve been so creatively involved and engaged with Tim and I’m so thrilled about how interesting and beautiful the photographs were,” Watson said of the photo shoot.
I hate to say this, but you know who has actually made similar – and perhaps better – feminist arguments about this exact same issue? Emily Ratajkowski. Emily has been on a tear for more than a year, making the argument that it’s a feminist act to make the choice to pose in various states of undress. To me, there’s no difference between someone taking a half-naked selfie and someone agreeing to pose for a half-naked editorial for Vanity Fair. By that I mean… as long as a woman is making the choice about how she wants to expose her body, why is it an issue?
Photos courtesy of Tim Walker/Vanity Fair.
I read somewhere that she bashed Beyonce for undressing and not being the right kind od feminist, so people pointed that out?
She said this:
“As I was watching [the videos] I felt very conflicted, I felt her message felt very conflicted in the sense that on the one hand she is putting herself in a category of a feminist, but then the camera, it felt very male, such a male voyeuristic experience of her,” Watson said during a conversation with journalist and actress Tavi Gevinson, as published in a 2014 issue of Wonderland Magazine.
So people are calling her out because she made this comment. Like it’s okay for her to choose to represent herself the way she did with her tits out in that mag shoot, but can’t seem to understand that Beyonce was choosing to represent herself the way she wanted to in the Lemonade visual album. She really just comes off as a typical white feminist.
Wow. I didn’t know she said that (or commented on Lemonade at all). That’s really interesting..
Methinks the “Real Feminist” thing is about MORE THAN women though. My take, is it’s people who are uncomfortable with the push for the “normailzation of the naked body”.
This isn’t just religious zealot anti-pill pro-life groups at all. Some people are not comfortable seeing the naked body, even if they-themselves are not the ones who are naked. For some it’s hard to seperate one’s own personal choices from others own choices. Unfortunately there’s a tie to the respect/shame thing, and this isn’t just women-judging women. This is people-judging naked people, and not being able to respect an intellectual who ALSO chooses to reveal their bodies (make their own choices.
This intersects with the “defining feminism” debate right now and i think is the main culprit for why a true definition hasn’t stuck yet.
This was definitely pre-Lemonade for sure. And it wasn’t a bash she said she felt conflicted because of the “male gaze” aspect which I think many feminist struggle with. Is it for you or is it to perpetuate a male standard? That’s what’s she’s getting at. It’s easier to make that distinction with an artsy shoot
That wasn’t about Lemonade obviously as it’s from a 2014 interview.
Some of the videos from self titled are extremely oriented for the male gaze. One is literally Jay Z’s view of her stripping and lap dancing for him.
Sarah lemonade wasn’t out in 2014, not sure which bey video it was
Okay. Just noticed the year being too early (thanks to everyone pointing that out) for Lemonade. Still if feminism is about women choosing to represent themselves the way they want to she shouldn’t have judged Beyonce. If Beyonce wants to make videos lap dancing on her husband then who is Emma to judge.
^^Yeah thanks for pointing out the continuity error! That would’ve been insane if she said that about Lemonade! If only, because i feel like those comments would have been a huge deal..
That’s not the full quote. She was thinking out loud about her initial reaction. She continued to say in the same interview
“And the fact that she wasn’t doing it for a label, she was doing it for herself and the control that she has directing it and putting it out there, I agree is making her sexuality empowering because it is her choice.”
Okay. So the “typical white feminist” is delusional, unaware and misguided? Think before you write: I find that comment of yours dismissive and very ignorant itself.
She didn’t bash her but said she felt conflicted because her video message was very feminist but the video felt male voyeuristic. I’m having trouble with my iPad and it’s not letting me link or copy and paste. But I could see how what she said was wrong. She should apologize for ever questioning Beyonce’s feminist message. Straight apology and not mince words. We don’t need any fighting amongst two of the top women of a younger generation that try and teach feminism.
this. i think the only issue is that she made that comment about beyonce, and should now apologise and admit she was wrong. it’s fine, we all get stuff wrong sometimes, and as long as we move forward and educate ourselves it’s all good.
She continued to say in the same interview
“And the fact that she wasn’t doing it for a label, she was doing it for herself and the control that she has directing it and putting it out there, I agree is making her sexuality empowering because it is her choice.”
I think she made this comment about Beyonce’s video for Partition.
I agree with the conflict Emma expressed about some female nudity playing into the male gaze as well as the other side of the argument that Black (and sometimes White) women with larger proportions being automatically viewed as “for the male gaze”. Historically pictures by the great masters always chose women with larger body parts as the epitome of female sexuality. Young girls with large boobs are sexualized unfairly.
That said, Emma’s picture is beautiful in it’s simplicity. A natural pose in neutral colors, it looks like art to me. I was expecting something in the Miley Cyrus or Melania Trump crass/porno category.
She didn’t question Beyonce’s feminist message. She questioned saying that while being objectified at the same time. I think it’s a valid point. Same with Emily R. I’m all for being proud of your body; however, there’s being proud of your body and putting it out there for male masturbatory material. There’s a difference between owning your sexuality and being gratuitous and an object. Perhaps Beyonce wasn’t the best choice to make the point, but it is a point nonetheless.
Beyonce was a 32 year old woman with a predominantly female fanbase who made a visual album about discovering her sexuality within her marriage. Her husband appeared with her in every single video exploring that subject. She was also the final arbiter of all her work having sacked her dad five years prior. She also made it clear on the same album that she is making her own choices on the song Grown Woman. Chorus “I’m a grown woman, I can do whatever I want”. This was also the album that contained Chimamanda Ngozis dictum on feminism. No female artist has ever gone to these lengths to protect their work from Emmas baseless charge.
To complicate matters further, Beyonce is a black woman. She is a black woman proportioned like most black woman. Thick thighs, wide hips and a round bum. White women (and men) have historically treated black flesh as sinful. They will occassionally allow the tall slender black woman through like Rihanna but women like Beyonce and Serena are expected to cover in shame. Its “too much”. Thats where Emma was coming from. Typical White Feminist. Note she offered no such commentary on Mileys phase even though Mileys video audience was mostly male and she had less control on her career at that point. No commentary on Gagas costuming either or even Rihannas. Wheres her take on Selenas and Arianas latest iteration?
What ached Emma was that a woman with the “wrong flesh” was refusing to cover up. Her own white slender flesh is “not sinful” so she fails to see the hypocrisy.
BLoop! All the points to Sheanna for coming with the receipts
Also Those Pics of Emma Are hideous cause they just are ( the hair? this No Makeup-makeup thing The clothes the palette) I find it laughable that this Godawful pic is becoming a thing she has to cape for LOL
@QQ the photos are indeed horrendous. She is – despite b**bs – quite androginous. The fluffy hair and clothes do.not.work.at.all. She needs a stylish, unisex look and then yes, b**bs, which would then be at least more interesting and exciting. As they should be. I can’t believe these provoked a *backlash*.
All righty then . . . . I was responding to the feminism comment and even said perhaps Beyonce might not have been the best choice to use and my comment was more about Emily R than Beyonce who *I think* is more about narcissism than sexuality. However, I agree with the basic principle. There are a lot of women out there who display their bodies under the guise of female empowerment, when it really looks like objectification to me.
@Bluhare
You dont have to like the woman but to leap from unfeminist to narcissist on Beyonce of all people is hilarious to me. Beyonce maintains a very clear line between her public persona and her real self. Unlike most pop stars, those two dont align very closely. Miley genuinely is a little crazy, Taylor genuinely is a little love obsssessed, Rihanna genuinely DGAF. Beyonce is almost always playing a character in public. So she only ever shows up to promote an event in that personas existence and then vanishes for months on end. She is not on the pap stroll or inviting paps to film her on the beach. She was dragged into social media kicking and screaming and even then she has clearly nothing to do with it. This is the exact opposite of a narcissist. This is a business woman who also happens to be introverted, so she figured out how to survive in her chosen business….sell the public persona and then vanish. The next time you see that woman will be after the babies are born, guaranteed. And even then it will be a brief appearance and then she’ll disappear for several months.
She continued to say in the same interview
“And the fact that she wasn’t doing it for a label, she was doing it for herself and the control that she has directing it and putting it out there, I agree is making her sexuality empowering because it is her choice.”
I’m not comparing Beyonce to anyone else, nor did I say anything about her life and the way she chooses to live it. I was talking about Emma Watson’s comment and the fact that I see her point, whether Beyonce was a good example or not. I used Emily R as an example of someone I think talks about empowerment when she’s really being objectified. The rest is your extrapolation.
She should have released a Nick Fury-type of statement: “I’m aware of the accusations made against me, but given the fact that they’re stupid ass accusations, I’ve decided to ignore them”.
Seriously. They are just boobs. Half the world has them. Get over it.
Lol most men have ’em too now!
I’m a firm believer that it’s not a powerful thing to show off your body to make old white magazine publishers money. But feminism, true feminism, says women can do what they want with their bodies. So, I support Emma.
But if she made the same complaint about Beyoncé, she deserves to be called out for hypocrisy as well.
I agree with you.
But I am so tired of female celebrities posing naked and going on about how ’empowering’ it is. How? Is it really that liberating to show your boobs?
I personally think that ultimately it just perpetuates the objectification of women.
Speaking for myself, yes it can be. I was born in the 80s and came of age in the late 80s and early nineties. I was a curvy black girl. I dont mean curvy fat, I mean my womanly proportions were pronounced from a young age. I HATED my body. You guys dont understand, I tried to starve myself because I thought my booty would be less big and my chest would shrink. Nothing worked, so I hid it behind baggy jeans and over sized shirts and learnt to slouch.
Whitney and the few black supermodels were the mainstream achetypal black beauties. So you will never understand my shock when I first watched the movie Poetic Justice and heard a character praise Janet Jacksons body type. I went and rented Janets concert tapes and there she was, in outfits accentuating not hiding her body. Janet taught me to stop wearing baggy baseball shirts to disguise my curves. I learnt later that she was ALSO under great pressure to hide her curves.
Those of us who dont conform to mainstream (i.e. WHITE) conventions of beauty often do find it empowering to defy the rules and not have to hide our “ugly”. Cultural pop stars are instrumental in that. Why should I be ashamed of what God gave me when Serena Williams and Beyonce are not. My type of booty is no longer treated as hideous, now its treated as “too sexy”. Tempting poor mens eyes to sin. Must cover from poor mens gaze and fragile white womens egos. So yes for these reasons, I do get a kick out of wearing that booty popping dress to dinner and throwing up a metaphorical middle finger to the rules and judges.
Sheanna, you’ve made a great point and I wanted to tell you that I appreciated reading your comment. Its is nutritious food for thought 🙂
There is an irony that oh, how coincidental, all this empowering nekkidness just happens to perfectly coincide with a patriarchal ideal. What a happy coincidence! It’s not as though anyone’s being feted for being so empowered as to show everyone their boob sag or their stretch marks, is it?
Since I don’t give two hoots about nekkidness or about how any woman decides to present herself and I don’t think anyone else should either, I’m also with Emma, and Beyonce, and every other woman dressing as she chooses, whether that be revealing or modest.
But this empowerment message has a lot of fragility about it.
This and a little more. What a coincidence that they’re all so appealing to the male gaze.
I agree. Men win either way lol. I just wish we’d also see the other side of the spectrum. Where fully clothed women also talk about being empowered but you know that wouldn’t appeal to men so…
With you all the way Sixer.
Yeah this completely, Sixer.
I was just sitting thinking about this and I think I should amend that comment to include myself…
… and every other woman dressing as she chooses, whether that be revealing or modest, or the first item on the clean washing pile she was too lazy to put away in the closet.
And really, like I say below, that’s where I am. Women must dress – or pose for photos – as they please. Satisfying the male gaze is fine and not anti-feminist but is, if we’re honest about it, quite a long way from radical. But for me, it’s just such a side issue. A frippery of feminism. Structural issues of sexual violence, employment equality, state-imposed maternal poverty, access to reproductive healthcare – that’s what I care about.
I’m really struggling to get energised in whether to define these types of editorials as either getting your tits out for the lads or empowering expressions of individual sexuality. I. Really. Don’t. Much. Care.
I do think there is empowerment in taking back the idea that a naked or exposed woman is only naked for a man’ viewing or sexual pleasure.
Perfectly stated. For years I’ve tried to say something similar.
@sixer: “There is an irony that oh, how coincidental, all this empowering nekkidness just happens to perfectly coincide with a patriarchal ideal.”
It coincides with one patriarchal ideal while going against another patriarchal ideal. That argument can apply (and has been applied) to a lot of choices we as feminists might find ourselves defending for women though, whether it’s immodesty, modesty, premarital/casual sex, not having sex (or saving it for only a certain type of relationship), having babies, birth control, etc. There are men who approve of these things because it goes along with their desires and ideals about women, and there are men who disapprove and want to keep women from doing those things, punish them, or be free to discriminate against and verbally abuse them (or worse) for doing those things because it goes against their ideals about women.
@Erica V: ” I do think there is empowerment in taking back the idea that a naked or exposed woman is only naked for a man’s viewing or sexual pleasure.”
I agree.
Otaku – yes, but, as I say above, for me this is a somewhat flimsy argument, although women are entirely free to make it. If it looks like a patriarchal duck and it quacks like a patriarchal duck, the chances are that it IS a patriarchal duck.
That said, it’s a position. It’s not an anti-feminist position.
What is ALWAYS anti-feminist is to police other women into conforming – whether that be patriarchal policing, respectability policing, misogynistic policing or feminist-purity policing. So y’know. I might well doubt the strength of the feminist act position here, but I strongly uphold every woman’s right to present as she pleases and put forward the philosophical position of her choice about how she presents herself without ever being silenced.
The problem here is that Emma attacked Beyonce but thinks her own (overtly pretentious) photoshoot is art.
Also not every choice a woman makes is feminists. I dont know why that needs to be pointed out again and again.
Conventionally attractive women cashing in in a system that oppresses other women are certainly not the best feminists.
So of course Emm CAN do that but also others can point out the Beyonce attack and that she profits from privilege and contributes to patriarchy.
While I agree with you please rethink your using the word “attacked”. Please see my comment above. As I said I’m having trouble with my iPad and can’t link her original statement or link to the story but she mentioned feeling “conflicted”. Where you got “attacked” from I don’t know.
I think Emma needs to straight up apologize to Beyoncé.
This. She didn’t attack anyone. Constant questioning, doubting and analysing are all a big part of what being a feminist is. You can feel conflicted and confused about certain things, without that meaning you are against them. It’s not a perfect movement.
Agreed.
i don’t know why it erased my original one, and placed my edit in the reply….
and other people have to understand that others have the right to point out that not every choice a woman makes is feminist.
it’s her choice. idk why it’s so hard for people to understand that feminism includes to right to choose. it’s her choice. you don’t have to agree with it.
edit: I wasn’t aware of her comments about beyonce. yes, it makes her look hypocritical. so i understand why people are calling her out about it.
yet another edit: i don’t know why it erased my original one, and placed my edit in the reply….
I think that in a world where a woman’s worth is so intrinsically linked to her sexuality the decision to take it all off should be taken seriously. Emma’s decision to do this is going to come back to haunt her when she is in her forties and no one wants to hire her because she is not considered to be as sexually desirable as she once was but some other young actress is willing to whip her top off for some attention.
Third wave feminism is way too obsessed with “it’s my choice” and no one seems to remember that those choices cannot be made in a vacuum. This wave has been a massive failure and far too male centered. Even Emma’s own so called feminist project is called “He for She.”
Im also getting more and more wary of that awful choice feminism. Its perfect for celebs who use this movement to sell their brand but its damaging for the rest.
If you go by the choice feminism logic, then Ivanka Trump and KellyAnne Conaway are feminists.
But who (besides Kellyanne Conway-types who don’t count) is literally saying that any choice a person makes is a feminist choice just because they’re a woman? Because it sometimes seems like ‘Choice Feminism’ is a card that automatically gets played whenever any woman either:
A.) defends her rejection of feminine modesty as empowerment and liberation
B.) Identifies as a feminist while making a rejection of respectability politics a part of the way she chooses to present herself
C.) Criticizes the misogyny directed either at herself or other women for rejecting feminine modesty/ respectability politics, or
D.) engages in other choices rigid traditional feminism frowns upon, but disagrees with the idea that that thing is always patriarchal oppression.
There’s a lot of difference between all three of those things and someone claiming anything a woman does is a feminist act.
Maybe it comes off as male-centered because men (and many women) in this day and age are completely obsessed with the idea that feminism means hating men, and today’s feminists understand that we have to help people see that feminist values are good for both men AND women? Hence the “he for she” campaign. And on what standards are you basing your assessment of “third wave feminism” as a “huge failure?”
I mean…look around. It seems like everything that women have been working for in the past hundreds of years is in jeopardy.
Okay, so you’re saying that’s somehow the fault of feminists, and not the insane people who are in power right now and those who are elected them? That’s insulting, honestly. It sounds like you’re saying younger women haven’t done enough to protect women’s rights from ignorant sh!theads like Trump and his people.
I think feminism has different strands. I don’t have any objection to the strand that focuses on the individual and individual choices. It’s one aspect of equality as worthy as any other.
But I hear you. And for me personally, I’m more interested in the radical strand that talks about structural inequality and how patriarchy is maintained through institutions and legal frameworks (the legal fictions created by anti-discrimination legislation that actually reinforced inequality for black women is the actual origin of the term intersectionality, for example).
Agreed. But I’m 38 so maybe a bit of an old fart feminist.
*shrug*
I agree with Kitten and Sixers point of view too. It’s complicated and we should talk and not fight. It’s easier to win if we are united, we’ve got to find a way to come together before all we’ve worked for is lost.
Agreed. I don’t necessarily object to women showing off their naked body but how often do you see male celebrities naked? The fact is, women are expected to take their clothes off while men aren’t. So like you say, choices don’t happen in a vacuum. It’s not intrinsically wrong for a woman to go nude for a magazine but it’s not super progressive either imo.
this.
So women and feminists should hide and cover? Maybe wear a burkha? Right.
More than half of women’s dresses at galas and awards reveal more than that. Deal with it.
I agree with you!
Exactly. Women need to hide. Because beautiful women can’t be intelligent and smart and powerful. We all know that. Beautiful women are meant to marry successful men and be bought jewelery and such. REAL feminists need to be covered (just not the head, watch the head!). Oh, and ugly. Can’t be taken seriously as a woman of you aren’t ugly. AND MOST OF ALL YOU CAN’T be naked, because BREASTS ARE SO POLITICAL!!!
Yes.
Some people are uncomfortable with this because Emma is supposed be in the “intelligent” box. Crazy thing is, a woman can be smart, well-spoken, AND incredibly sexy. Whaaaat?! Insane, I know.
Why is it that people like to throw Muslima’s under the bus when it comes to issues like this. Like you couldn’t make your point without mentioning that?
i don’t have a problem with what emma says, and i agree feminism has nothing to do with it. she should apologise and retract what she said about beyonce though. it’s fine if she changed her mind.
here’s my problem with emily ratajkowski though; it’s annoying when women go on about feminism being about choice, because that’s not what feminism is. feminism is about equality. and sure, women should be allowed to consider themselves feminists regardless of what they choose to do with their bodies, as do men. but not every choice a woman make is feminist. the male gaze IS a problem. so your choice to go naked, while a completely valid choice as a human being, is nothing to do with feminism. it’s a woman’s choice, not a feminist choice.
Agree. Also we cant forget that showing off your body is only allowed for a tiny fraction of all people. Emily and Emma fit in there, others do not. Its a flaunting of privilege and most often used to make people feel bad about their bodies to buy beauty products.
I think this is the meat of the problem here, and very well stated:
“showing off your body is only allowed for a tiny fraction of all people. Emily and Emma fit in there, others do not. Its a flaunting of privilege and most often used to make people feel bad about their bodies to buy beauty products.”
I’m a firm believer that a woman should be able to do as she pleases with her body, should be able to show her body as she pleases, but you are right that it does not exist in a vacuum and that there is a small fraction of women applauded for it (thin, conventionally attractive women).
We are inundated with the idea of what the male idea of a ‘perfect’ woman’s body should look like. It is awfully hard to take women who say “I’m a strong feminist, and I support other women”, when they benefit from that gaze.
I’m not sure how to wrestle with these two things I hold true, but are often counter to each other.
What you guys said.
YES.
Thank you.
@Ell: I agree that going naked/topless/wearing revealing clothes isn’t automatically a feminist choice- it depends on the motives and message of the person doing it.
@QueenB: I see that more as a sign that society needs to be accepting of more than one body type and be more balanced about beauty standards, not as a sign that conventionally attractive women need to practice more modesty.
Otaku Fairy: Its not only about body types and skin color but also about age and mainly facial symmetry. Even the curvy models all have conventionally attractive faces.
Its also not only about modesty. My point is: As long as beautiful people have special rights and get rewarded simply for looking right we will never have an equal society.
Even if everyone is covered up, its only a tiny fraction of people who have the right face to be shown in the media.
lookism is something that gets often overlooked and plays a part in all of life. From lower jail sentences to higher salaries for attractive people.
As others have pointed out – its the comments she made about Beyonce. Regardless of what she meant when she said it, its being taken as her being hypocritical and in a way she is. Emma has had a privileged life, living in a bubble and am not sure she really grasps what normal women struggle with. Thou she should be commended for using her star to shine a light on the issue.
Part of me things this is all a bit of attention seeking from Emma – she’s struggling to shake the Hermione alter ego. Many child stars have done shoots like this, its not really ‘art’ – its a well trodden path. But if she wants to do then its her choice even thou others may not agree it was a good choice to make.
she s on bumpy side of her career:
not a good actress, hipster (hypocritical) feminist, linked to tax evasion, laughingstock because of the lala land gossip, emma stone has stolen the spot as the alpha sweet ingenue with oscar credentials,the school smart category has sunk with natalie “sore loser” portman.
but will she be sexy enough?In hollywood?
she is miscast so bland in comparison to the animated film Belle.Gugu should have been given the role.
Of course, her breasts are not anti-feminist. Neither were Beyonce’s.
Hopefully, this new statement just means that she has evolved in her feminist/nudity stance (as everyone does) and not that she, like so many white feminists, applies a different standard for lily white women vs black women. We shall see.
This is a generous read, I like it.
I hope she’s learning, and not just applying it to herself. She should apologize to Bey though, and recognize that black women face a very different set of sexual standards than white women. There’s a lot of nasty stuff out there, and Bey claiming her sexuality like that has MORE power and MORE meaning than when Emma does it. It represents a much larger issue, and Emma’s critique of it shows that very well.
I wish one young actress would keep her clothes all the way on. Just to show it can be done. You can succeed and stay dressed. Just one.
I know.
Is it really a choice or is it becoming peer pressure?
Am I getting old? I can’t remember that many actresses now in their 40s and up doing the obligatory naked/near naked magazine spread when I was growing up.
I don’t think it has anything to do with feminism.
The original push was to be a good cook, housekeeper and mother.
Now the push is to be the hottest, sexiest, and either most pliable or a cool girl.
It’s the same game, just a slightly different set of rules.
I think it is industry/peer pressure. I feel for the ones who want to act and have the talent and lose opportunities because they refuse to pose like this. That’s the only reason why I wish Emma had not done this shoot. She has so much power and she doesn’t need the money so she could maybe push the needle.
I know right? It’s not just in Hollywood. I see so many women wearing next to nothing out at the mall or even grocery shopping. I kid you not, the other day at a grocery store there was a young girl, maybe 18 or 19 wearing nothing but a button up shirt and thigh high boots. That is all she was wearing…at a grocery store. I see girls, maybe 12 or 13 wearing booty shorts as soon as the weather gets even slightly warm. In this case, it’s the parents buying the kids those types of clothes. I don’t know but I don’t understand it.
Different strokes for different folks. Some women prefer dressing more conservatively most of the time, while others don’t, and some are just a mix of modest and immodest clothing choices.
“Emma Watson: ‘Feminism, feminism… gender wage gap… why oh why am I not taken seriously… feminism… oh, and here are my tits!’ ” wrote one radio host on Twitter.
Mr (I assume) radio host – whilst the sight of breasts may cause your brain to disengage just as you open your mouth or access your keyboard, I can assure you that is not the case with women. Your inability to see a woman as a whole being – intelligent, accomplished, sexual, mother, joyful, free, is indicative of your irrational thinking, not ours.
the radio host is a woman. Julia Hartley-Brewer.
here is the tweet:
https://twitter.com/JuliaHB1/status/836873834414366720
That made it so much worse.
This is an … interesting quote: “I couldn’t care less if I won an Oscar or not if the movie didn’t say something that I felt was important for people to hear.” (from the Vanity Fair article, cited in the Instagram photo)
I respect someone who places their personal values above money and awards and I think show business awards are silly anyway but its also not like everyone wants to shower Emma with Oscars.
It’s easy for her to say that because she has enough money for a lifetime and she’s not the caliber of talent to win an Oscar.
I just thought it was interesting given the gossip around EW and LaLaLand; IMO it came across as defensive and bitter on her end.
(Sorry, don’t mean to seem like I’m stalking your comments today!)
she must really be hurt.she’s lying.
from the trio of hp she’s the one who has kept choosing the higher profile films.
not edgy thing, or theatre like radcliffe or stay out of light as rupert grint (the best of the three.
she could do charity free volunteering for the rest of her life with her money and celebrity.or anything else with her diplomas
but she does want to be a hollywood prestige a list star.
maybe her elfin teen look and mediocre acting skills may not do her any favors for grown up roles, when brie larson,jennifer lawrence or emma stone are in trend for both more (academic) male gaze satisfying look and superior talent
I don’t agree that feminism is only about individual choice. There’s a larger responsibility to work towards social and legal gender equality. Having said that, entertainers of all genders and sexualities do sexy magazine shoots. The difference between succumbing to the male gaze and expressing one’s sexuality can be very nuanced. These images don’t bother me because Emma hasn’t built a career on her sexuality. Emily R has, so it’s a different conversation.
Came to say something edifying, but wound up shocked about how much her underboobs look like mine. I really don’t mean to brag, but it’s so weird when u literally see yourself (or part of you) on a magazine cover.
It is.
When Kate Moss came out, I was really happy to see somebody was as flat and skinny as I was 🙂
Almost like body representation matters 😉
Hmmm….
I’m almost 40 and learned a long time ago that someone is always going to be judging.
I think women should be able to wear whatever they want and call themselves whatever they want. Not everyone fits neatly into a certain box… And that upsets certain people. They are the people you learn to stop listening to.
All that said… And this doesn’t really pertain to her because she is usually fully clothed… When I used to go out half naked it was all about male attention. That was just me. Maybe some of these women do it for a different reason? All I know is my own truth.
I believe when you choose a public, overpaid job and decide to pose for a magazine cover, people are going to wonder about your stance, no matter what it is. At least you were honest about your previous self, as I find it hard to believe that these ladies (who “coincidentally” fit the male gaze standards so well) are doing it for a different reason. No problem with being attractive and wanting to show it off, as long as you admit the obvious.
“At least you were honest about your previous self, as I find it hard to believe that these ladies (who ‘coincidentally’ fit the male gaze standards so well) are doing it for a different reason.
Instead of this being a reflection on women not being honest about their motives for doing things (why do we have such a hard time trusting women with their own bodies?) couldn’t it be because the of the body-shaming and ageism that ‘not male gaze standard meeting’ women face all the time?
Otaku Fairy, I’ll try my best to give an answer that makes sense, forgive me if I’m not interpreting your words well since english is not my language and thngs got a little obscure, lol.
Being prone to please the male gaze is more than just showing skin. Think about pop stars. Beyoncé, Shakira, Rihanna, Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Arianna Grande, Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, Taylor Swift… You can find the same patern, yet none of them admit how hard they try to be appealing to men. No wonder people made such a big deal about Lorde and Adele.
Hope I didn’t derail from the subject you stated, haha.
But why assume that because they portray themselves in sexy/sexual ways, it always has to be about appealing to men? I’m not saying there’s anything wrong or automatically patriarchal and oppressive about either sex wanting to attract whatever genders they’re attracted to, or that none of the stars you listed have ever acted with that in mind. But it’s not automatically about a desperation for male approval.
It’s way too much coincidence to not assume. The whole context we live in. The lyrics. Well, you got it.
Emma and Beyonce both have power, and as a result, true choice. Emma’s shoot is artistically pretentious, and I find Beyonce to be cynically exploitative of her own sexuality for attention and money. But no one coerced either of these women to expose themselves. The problem is that many other women trying to break into the industry have no power and no true choice.
I agree with you on this. I find it disengenious to state the right to show your boobs as a feminist stance when you are a star whose biggest problem will be a few bitter tweets, and the upside more money and fame. And when it is your choice to do it and not a societal or work-related imposition.
Of course, it is a choice to conform to the standards of the male gaze and the mainstream ideal of beauty (in that sense Beyoncé is an ‘avantgardist’ in the sense that she is creating another mould for black women who now also have an unrealistic, extremely male oriented image to emulate).
They can both obviously show their underbood and their sexiness, and I affirm their right to do so (I could not care less and do enjoy my share of sexy images), but please don’t pretend you are fighting for feminism as in: equal pay, a re-invention of childcare inclusive of fathers, de-objectification etc.
And it ends up being quite damaging IMHO, because it trivializes sexual exploitation.
Women choosing to present themselves immodestly doesn’t trivialize sexual exploitation any more than women choosing to have premarital/casual sex trivializes rape and rape culture, just like women choosing to have babies doesn’t trivialize the attacks on women’s access to birth control and safe, legal abortion, or how women choosing to date or marry doesn’t trivialize the issues of domestic violence or child marriage, and just like women choosing to dress modestly/classy/conservatively or to save sexual activity for marriage and committed relationships doesn’t trivialize the issues of slut-shaming, victim-blaming, honor crimes, and sexual bullying.
The “No woman being forced/coerced to do it means no woman must ever choose to do it, so any woman who chooses to do this is partially to blame when women are forced to do it” mentality (that’s a weakness of feminism and an example of some of the victim-blaming within the movement) isn’t any more progressive than women being told that those things are their value in the first place.
I like these unique fashions she is seen wearing of late as well as the up do. She looks lovely in clothes that are symmetrical as it turns out, more than the fluffy princess garments. This is wearing clothing as art and has nothing to do with feminism imo. But people are always looking for something to complain about when seriously bad things are happening all around and deserve attention.
I think feminism has more to do with supporting a societal framework that gives women the freedom to thrive and be independent. Bigger picture thinking is needed because rarely does a woman’s overall drive relate to helping out other women. Feminism also does not have anything to do with a celebrity marketing herself. I see no problem with Watson’s wear or post as a self- described feminist.
People and twitter went in on Emma because she’s a hypocrite. She questioned Beyonce’s feminism and said she’s showing off her curves for the men (“omg, cover up your body you beautiful black woman. Don’t you know you’re tempting the menz? Ugh”. But yet she goes shows off her skinny topless self on vanity fair, and she’s “empowered” “brave” and oh so “feminist” 😒
She didn’t even acknowledge her hypocritical comment and apologise. Typical.
another proof real right causes supporting hollywood stars are very rare.
all is poorly acted pr for most of them.
Emma Watson did NOT attack Beyonce or disparage her as a feminist. Here is her quote:
“I felt her message felt very conflicted in the sense that on the one hand she is putting herself in a category of a feminist, you know this very strong woman and she has that beautiful speech in one of her songs but then the camera, it felt very male, such a male voyeuristic experience of her.”
It’s quite clear she’s referring to the fact that the male objectification portrayed in the video is what made her feel conflicted, not Beyonce or her performance itself.
And here is her take on Beyonce’s album, videos and how they portray feminism:
“I can be a feminist, I can be an intellectual, I can be all these other things but I can also be okay with my feminity and being pretty and with all these things that I thought, you know, would negate my message or negate what I am about. That really is the most interesting thing about the album. It is so inclusive and puts feminism and female empowerment on such a broad spectrum.”
NOT ATTACKS. At all. So please just stop with this nonsense.
She also said this: “Beyoncé is not perfect even though she is kind of a badass but I think it is very generous of her to work these things out publicly, to you know, have the songs that include the sample of like a Ted Talk about feminism. I think it is very generous of her to let us see her relationship to feminism publicly and I think that if we are being really nit-picky there are definitely contradictions, but I’m mostly just so thankful that album exists and for me it felt like real progress.”
It doesn’t sound like she’s attacking Bey?
But you know, everyone loves a girl fight. Sigh.
I have to be honest I get tired of seeing this stuff. If the nudity was more equally done between male and female stars, it would be par for the course. But female stars are always being put in sexualized poses, cleavage exposing clothes, when male stars aren’t. A male actor can be shown as powerful or intelligent without being posed in a way the focuses on their body but it’s often not the same story for women.
Agreed. It doesn’t feel equal, and feminism is about equality.
totally.
She is still young, therefore naive. And her sexy photoshoot on the heels of her comments about Beyonce are downright hypocritical.
The difference between Emma Watson and Emily Ratajkowski is that Emma Watson actually works for feminism, and Emily Ratajkowski doesn’t seem to do anything but show up on red carpets, get her tits out, and take refuge in crying feminism. She doesn’t actually do anything to promote feminism.
Emily Ratajkowski (unless I’m confusing things she’s done with things other famous women have done) supports planned parenthood, supports equal pay, and has called out victim-blaming and slut-shaming against women other than just herself. So while we may be able to say Emma Watson is doing more with feminism, they both qualify as feminists and I don’t think either should be dismissed as ‘crying feminism’, even though they both have their flaws. Emily R is just like Channing Tatum: both are conventionally attractive white celebrities who capitalize on looks and sexuality while also identifying as feminists and supporting feminist issues. The difference is that one of them gets praised as a feminist hero for it, while the other regularly gets dismissed as a narcissist who’s only using feminism, as someone who shouldn’t be calling herself one, and who’s to dumb to understand that not everything a woman does is a feminist. And the reason for that is their genders.
Good to see you here OF
Amen.
She made those comments about Beyoncé ages ago, and Emma was probably very young at the time. I’m 28 now and I’m sure my views and opinions have changed and matured since I was 20-23. Everyone is so quick to make this a racial thing as well, like ‘oh typical white feminism’. No – she’s just grown up and her views on feminism and what that means to her has evolved. Everyone calm down.
She made her comments about Beyoncé 2-3 years ago, not exactly “ages” ago. Of course it’s possible that her views have changed over the last couple years, but it’s not as if people are digging up quotes from 10 or even 5 years ago and judging her based on that.
That said, it seems like her comments may have been taken out of context and were not as negative as people initially thought.
i can’t with her. i just can’t.
Here’s the thing, I feel like the male equivalent of tits is ass and if some guy kept showing his ass in magazines I’d also feel like… why? Which is exactly how I feel about EW getting her kit out to feel “empowered”. Pointless. Conventionally pretty skinny actress shows off her perky tits. Wow mucho idealistic such empowerment how eye opening.. NOT.