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Emma Watson has revealed she was advised not to use the word ‘feminism’ during her groundbreaking ‘HeForShe’ speech at the United Nations.
The Regression actress claimed people recommended she steer clear of the word when writing what is now considered to be one of the most feminist speeches in recent years.
“I was encouraged not to use the word ‘feminism’ because people felt that it was alienating and separating and the whole idea of the speech was to include as many people as possible," she told Porter Magazine.
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However, this advice fell on deaf ears and Watson said the words ‘feminism’ and ‘feminist’ six times during her 12-minute speech calling on men and boys to join the fight for gender equality.
A large portion of her speech focused on the use of the word feminism and questioned why it has become an “unpopular” and “uncomfortable” one.
The actress said: “I thought long and hard and ultimately felt that it was just the right thing to do. If women are terrified to use the word, how on earth are men supposed to start using it?”
Watson’s speech at the UN headquarters in New York has been viewed almost over 1.5 million times on Youtube.
During the speech, she called on men to champion women’s issues and also highlighted the problems they can develop because of the pressures to be stereotypically masculine.
Watson, who was appointed a UN goodwill ambassador for women i n 2014, campaigns for women's issues around the world.
Earlier this year she interviewed campaigner Malala Yousafzai , who said she only started identifying as a feminist after watching the 25-year-old's speech.
Watson said part of the reason she was chosen for the role was through her advocacy for fair-trade fashion.
“Because so many women design and make the clothes we wear, it’s primarily the working conditions of women that are affected by the decisions we make, so fashion is a feminist issue.”
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