Is Emma Watson anti-feminist for exposing her breasts?
This is the title of an article on the BBC that I highly recommend reading. I think I have very seldom read an article that goes straight to the points (the plural is intentional) and that makes no mistake in my opinion. I very much agree with almost everything it says and in particular:
- Feminism is not about giving women "choice". It is a social justice movement. "Emma's saying feminism is about choice and the choice to do whatever you want, but that's a nonsense. Some women choose terrible things, some women choose to work for parties that deny women access to abortion, access to healthcare or mothers access to welfare." So true and I would add that it is often the choices women make that undermine the rights of women. We must stop this nonsense that feminism is about women getting what they want. It is about society in general not discriminating against women by giving them less rights than men, such as access to education and work, equal salaries, protection against exploitation and agency over their bodies. Emma's defence of her photo is stupid, although I absolutely agree that "feminism is not a stick to beat women with" and that criticism against her is unfair and unwarranted. Even though I would not have taken that photo if I was her, solely based on my own feminist values and not on any kind of puritanism (I have no problem with showing my tits and am strongly against the policies of breast censorship that are so common in USA media).
- Showing off your tits is not anti-feminist, but promoting feminism is more effective through the voice and not the body. Unfortunately, our society often prefers to promote "feminism" in the form of sexual liberation and women using their bodies and sexuality as the only way to "empower" themselves. In some extreme cases (not all of them), this is nothing female objectification and sexual exploitation disguised as feminism.
- Why has the debate been reduced to a celebrity exposing her breasts rather than issues such as women's economic positions and cuts to women's services?
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