On the day Emma Watson turned 18, a swarm of adult men laid down on the pavement and took pictures up her skirt as she exited her birthday party.
Charming, isn’t it? A cake would have been better, or a firm handshake.
Watson described the awful incident during her speech announcing the launch of HeForShe Arts week, “a celebration of gender equality in the arts”, to illustrate how she’s been treated differently from her male co-stars.
“I remember on my 18th birthday I came out of my birthday party and photographers laid down on the pavement and took photographs up my skirt, which were then published on the front of the English tabloid [newspapers] the next morning,” Watson said.
“If they had published the photographs 24 hours earlier they would have been illegal, but because I had just turned 18 they were legal.”
Watson is taking a year off from acting to focus on her role as UN Women Goodwill Ambassador and her HeForShe campaigns.
She spoke to Esquire UK recently about other experiences of sexism.
“I’ve had my ass slapped as I’ve left a room. I’ve felt scared walking home. I’ve had people following me. I don’t talk about these experiences much, because coming from me they’ll sound like a huge deal and I don’t want this to be about me but most women I know have experienced it and worse… It shouldn’t be an acceptable fact of life that women should be afraid,” she said.
Top Comments
She is fantastic. Eloquent and well-spoken, and using her celebrity status to enact real change in the world. She doesn't jump from issue to issue, and does more than just tweet about something - she makes things happen. The world needs more people like her.
Well said!
So what change has occurred thanks to Emma?