Girl Talk: #HeForShe and Gender Equality

 

 

 

 

 

 

First of all, I know that this isn't the Disney post that I promised last week, but I really wanted to post about this.

 

Second of all, if you haven't heard Emma Watson's amazing #HeForShe speech at the UN, then watch it now! The link is here.

 

 

When I first saw Emma Watson's speech, I was surprised. I obviously knew that she was educated and well-spoken, but the way that she articulated her ideas and had the courage to speak about something that is obviously close to her heart, to the UN, is something that I really admired.

 

The HeForShe campaign is fighting for Gender Equality, and it especially wants men to get involved. This is because, things like this are usually seen as 'Women fighting for the rights of women'. But what struck me about Emma's speech was that she spoke about the inequalities that men face, as well as  women.

I was so struck with this speech, and I was so proud of Emma, especially as I have been watching Harry Potter from the very beginning and remember seeing  Emma for the first time as an 11 year old who was smart and unpopular. Now she's someone who is striving to make a positive change for both genders around the freaking world! That's amazing!

 

I wanted to talk about this because, like a lot of people, I obviously don't believe that anyone should be treated badly over factors that they don't have the power to change, such as gender, race, sexuality etc. and it has always been something that I have felt strongly about.

 

One of my best friends is a self-proclaimed feminist, and although I have not and probably won't ever call myself a feminist, we have the same views, especially over gender equality. The word 'feminism', as Emma said in her speech, has had a lot of negative implications over the years, which I don't understand. Since when was it a bad thing to fight for what you want?

 

If you're a guy, here is the 'HeForShe' website link: http://www.heforshe.org/

Girls, of course you can look at it too, but the particular campaign is looking specifically for men to sign up, because they want to acknowledge the fact that 'Gender Equality' isn't about women having rights, it's about men and women having equal rights and opportunities. This campaign is as much for guys as it is for girls.

 

I'm keeping this relatively short, but I think that, even if this campaign isn't your thing, watch Emma's speech and think about it. I think that, even if you hate everything I'm talking about, at the very least, it's extremely interesting.

 

Gender Equality is something that we should all have. The same as equality of races and sexuality's and even class systems. We should all be treated the same.

 

OK, I'm finished, sorry that I went so deep! It's just something that I'm interested in and care about.

 

Thank you for reading

 

Comment below how involved you are with the #HeForShe campaign, and why!