Actress Emma Watson’s choice of clothing for Vanity Fair was criticised heavily on social media, with many saying that a real feminist would never wear such a revealing outfit. Prominent personalities like British radio presenter Julia Hartley Brewer said that Watson was being hypocritical by revealing so much of her body.
Of course this criticism received a lot of backlash, with people speaking out about how judging someone on what they wear is not the point of feminism.
Huffington Post started a whatfeminsitswear hashtag to bring home the point.
“Feminists can wear anything they fucking want,” said Gloria Steinem in response to the criticism that Emma Watson received.
Watson is the UN Women Goodwill Ambassador and the face of the HeforShe Campaign. She is a self-proclaimed feminist who speaks vehemently about women’s issues.
She was perturbed at the criticism she received and told Reuters that it was the result of people misunderstanding what feminism means.
"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 tits have to do with it. It’s very confusing,” she said.
Here are some of the tweets from around the world:
https://twitter.com/jocelynarias/status/838797152818184192
https://twitter.com/hrobertson1/status/838947975988588544
Sometimes suits. Sometimes dresses. Sometimes a lot. Sometimes a little. We are all feminists, either way. #WhatFeministsWear pic.twitter.com/gtwgaxHVpS
— sophia slade ψ (@theneonvulture) March 6, 2017
https://twitter.com/SuperAlexT101/status/838794140964044800
#WhatFeministsWear - an expression that says we're tired of patriarchal garbage @GloriaSteinem @EmmaWatson @jsam1126 pic.twitter.com/WzvcSlRvFe
— emily g (@thebostonroses) March 6, 2017
What you wear, be it a bikini or a burqa, does not determine whether you are or aren't a feminist, as these women show us.
Also Read: Meet Halima Aden, A Hijab-Wearing Model