The little witch has become a new icon for many young women: highly educated, successful in her career, dedicated to the community and gender equality.
Helicopters are circling like a flock of eagles in the sky. The UN summit is underway, the US president is arriving, and the police are even more crowded than usual on the streets. The atmosphere is tense. However, in one corner, there is a completely different scene. That is where Emma Watson is standing.
Hundreds of fans are crowding around her, shouting her name, hoping to get an autograph from their idol. The young actress smiles, politely and patiently declines those requests to continue talking with us.
The angel just appeared
The chair we were sitting on was soaked with rain, to the point that we were afraid it would ruin her beautiful dress. However, Emma did not seem to care. She took the tissue from us and gently wiped the water droplets before sitting down while passersby kept looking at her with curious eyes. Emma’s calmness in the chaotic atmosphere around her was not surprising, she had been used to the attention of the crowd since she was 9 years old – the time of the first Harry Potter movies.
However, even if you were completely ignorant about cinema, you could still tell that Emma was not an ordinary girl at first sight. From her eyes to the way she spoke, she exuded intelligence, confidence and curiosity. Emma didn’t appear at the UN summit as an actress, she came as a UN Goodwill Ambassador for Women’s Rights, the youngest person ever to hold the role.
The day before, Emma Watson had moved the world with her HeForShe campaign: “I’m reaching out to you because we need you. I want gender inequality to end – and to do that, we need everyone to join in.” The speech, written by Emma Watson herself, began by recounting her life experiences, from the age of eight (being labeled a pushover for wanting to direct a play), to 14 (being sexually exploited by the media as a minor), to 15 (girls quitting sports because they didn’t want to look too muscular) and to 18 (boys no longer showing their true feelings for fear of being ridiculed). And she concluded, it was time for her to stand up for gender equality.
Standing on the podium, in front of hundreds of important figures in the world of politics, Emma looked very small. However, no one could deny that it was this fragile girl who inspired everyone in the audience that day to continue fighting for equality. And then, millions of people around the world joined her in speaking out, to protect the equal rights of their daughters, sons, brothers, sisters, friends and even people they had never met.
After the meeting ended, she recognized the ELLE team in the crowd and ran to give us hugs. Emma always surprises others with her lovely actions. She is eloquent, bold and strong, but immediately shows another side of her personality, so soft and feminine. And most importantly, no matter the circumstances, this beautiful young girl chooses to live true to herself.
“When I graduated from university (Emma studied English Literature at Brown University, USA), I suddenly felt that something was missing in my life. I still love acting, but I also want to do other things,” she told us. And raising awareness of feminism is something she has always wanted to do.
“Feminism is not here to force you to follow a certain path. It’s not a criteria that you have to follow, it’s not a framework that you have to accept. What we’re doing here is reminding you that you have a choice. If you want to run for prime minister, you do. If you don’t want to, that’s great,” Emma insists. “Little things like shaving or not shaving, wearing flats or high heels have nothing to do with who you are. And I hope people don’t judge people based on things like that. We want to encourage women to do exactly what they want, to be true to themselves, to have opportunities to develop.”
Live each day to the fullest
Unlike many celebrities, Emma did not simply “lend her name” to attract attention to community campaigns. Life taught her lessons that she must live fairly and respect herself from a young age. Her parents divorced when Emma was only 5 years old. And in that seemingly tragic situation, she learned many meaningful things from her parents: “My father let us participate in everything he liked: fishing, cricket, tennis… regardless of whether it was a game for boys or girls.” Meanwhile, her mother raised her children alone and worked as a lawyer. “She was a person who respected herself. Seeing her have her own purpose in life and live with a positive mood every day made me very happy as a child.”
Like her parents, Emma Watson has always been steadfast on the path of living for her purpose. Of the three main actors of Harry Potter, Emma is the only one who did not have a parent accompanying her during the decade-long hard days of completing this series. She studied right on the set, during the promotional trips of the film and maintained a surprisingly private and healthy lifestyle. Just like the good witch Hermione in Harry Potter, Emma showed an incredible love of learning and effort to excel in all her work.
The Hollywood A-list star once admitted that she had enough money to not need to work anymore until old age and still live comfortably. However, that did not stop her from becoming a student at one of the most prestigious universities in the United States. She chose heavier, more meaningful roles in upcoming films. And in the meantime, she never refused to participate in community activities.
She has been to Bangladesh, Zambia, Uruguay… supporting movements and organizations fighting for women’s rights to education, to vote and to assert their individual values. Emma has always – since a very young age – researched and learned about gender equality, education and the state of labor in the world. So it is no surprise that this girl can confidently stand at the UN conference at an age when most people are still wondering: What am I going to do with my life?
However, Emma is not an untouchable girl. On the contrary, she is always a friend who always feels shared. On the way back to her apartment from the noisy crowd, we chatted endlessly about actors, artists and works of art. “I think we should clearly distinguish an individual from what he or she creates,” Emma told me. Perhaps no one can give that warning more convincingly than Emma, who grew up with the glamour of Hollywood but never once lost her way.
Emma is not afraid to admit to us that like everyone else, she has her own insecurities and sadness. If you ask this young star if she has ever had a broken heart, been lonely or disappointed, Emma will answer yes without hesitation. “I used to struggle with insomnia, but now I can take better care of myself when I realize I am not invincible. I travel, I cook, I take care of my two cats, I do yoga and read books,” Emma calmly shares. And by doing so, she shows us that this is the true ambassador for all women.
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