When Emma Watson was appointed as a United Nations Women Goodwill Ambassador, the recent Brown University graduate took the designation to heart.
She gained respect from netizens by effectively using social media to promote women's rights. She supported the protest against a sexist Turkish politician on Twitter. She also spoke against malicious comments regarding the recent celebrity nude photo hacking.
Emma Watson's UN speech for the 'HeForShe' campaign launch this weekend highlighted her fight for gender equality. It also gave her more admirers, with her speech being met with a standing ovation amidst thunderous applause.
The 'HeForShe' campaign aims to "galvanize with as many men and boys" to help uphold women's rights as well as eliminate inequalities for women around the world.
Speaking in front of Secrety-General Ban Ki-moon and the rest of the audience at the U.N. headquarters in New York, the British actress called for help from male allies in upholding women's rights worldwide.
Despite the positive reaction she received on social media, the 24-year-old actress was still apprehensive that she might not be taken seriously because of her 'Harry Potter' association.
"You might think: who is this Harry Potter girl? What is she doing at the UN? I've been asking myself the same thing," she told the assembly. "All I know is that I care about this problem and I want to make this better. And having seen what I've seen and given the chance, I feel my responsibility to say something."
She also added, "Edmund Burke said all that is need for the forces of evil to triumph is for good men and women to do nothing."
According to Vanity Fair, Watson not only challenged men into action, she also clarified a misconception about feminism being a "man hating" movement.
She lamented the fact that the word "feminist" has earned a notorious reputation as being "too strong, too aggressive, anti-men, unattractive." Emma Watson's UN speech explained the true meaning of the word.
"I think it is right I am paid the same as my male counterparts," she said. "I think it is right that I should make decisions about my own body. I think it is right that women be involved on my behalf in the policies and decisions that affect my life."
She further stressed, "I think it is right that socially, I am afforded the same respect as men."
Watch Emma Watson's UN speech below.
