Kristen Stewart on gender equality: 'It’s a really ridiculous thing to say you’re not a feminist'

Stewart said some people's aversion to the word feminist may be because younger generations do not have "as much of the anger"

Kristen Stewart has said 'It’s a really ridiculous thing to say you’re not a feminist'

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Kristen Stewart has tried to rationalise why some young women might reject the label of ‘feminist’, saying that it could be a “response to overly-aggressive types”.

Following Emma Watson’s lead – another Hollywood actress who recently launched a gender equality initiative with the United Nations – Stewart said she, too, is a feminist but that “the loudest voice in the room isn’t necessarily the one you should listen to”.

In an interview with the Daily Beast, she responded to a question that referenced some young actresses’ attempts to distance themselves from the oft-divisive ‘F’ word.

“That’s such a strange thing to say, isn’t it? Like, what do you mean? Do you not believe in equality for men and women?” she said.

“I think it’s a response to overly-aggressive types. There are a lot of women who feel persecuted and go on about it, and I sometimes am like, ‘Honestly, just relax, because now you’re going in the other direction.’

“Sometimes, the loudest voice in the room isn’t necessarily the one you should listen to. By our nature alone, think about what you’re saying and say it - but don’t scream in people’s faces, because then you’re discrediting us.”

She also said that a Hollywood patriarchy means that complex and difficult female characters are hard to come by, but that it’s “fun to be the underdog”.

“Relating it to my one little avenue, people say, ‘If you want to make it in the film industry as a woman, you have to be a b***h.’ No, you are going to ruin any chance you have and give us a bad name.

“It’s the overcompensation to where our generation goes, ‘Relax,’ because it’s been easier for us, and because we don’t have as much of the anger, so it’s like we can’t get behind it and it’s a bit embarrassing.

“But that being said, it’s a really ridiculous thing to say you’re not a feminist.”