Emma Watson Activist Work

Actress Emma Watson, best known for her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter movies, recently announced her decision to take a yearlong break from acting to learn more about gender equality and to focus on the UN’s HeForShe campaign.

This new role is an unexpected turn for audiences who have watched Watson grow up on the silver screen. Because she evolved from a precocious, young girl into a formidable young woman before our eyes, it’s hard to see her as anything but simply Hermione.

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The same type of pigeonholing can happen to women who grow within organizations. As they stretch to take on bigger challenges and more responsibility, they naturally expect to be noticed and recommended for bigger roles inside their organizations. Yet, all too often, the organization’s leadership fails to see their growth and labels them as one-dimensional or who they “used to be”. As a result, they are consistently passed by for promotions and pay raises.

Ways Emma Watson Finally Left Harry Potter Behind Her In 2014

Rather than be typecast forever as one character, Emma Watson decided to step WAY outside of what was expected of her and allow people to see her in a new light. Her new role as UN Women’s Goodwill Ambassador is one where she uses her passion, heart, and conviction to affect the lives of women and men around the world.

What if Watson had allowed people around her to define her as only an actress? What if she had allowed others’ perception of her to stop her from pursuing a role that’s shaping the conversation around gender equality?

What is the cost when you allow others to classify you into only one role? You lose more than opportunities for advancement. You lose creativity, innovation, and your passion. If you have talents that could serve your organization in a wider range than what you are currently doing, then it’s time to step out of the box. Raise your hand for the challenging assignments; consistently deliver more than they expect; speak up and ask questions, take a stand. Like Watson, you might have to do something totally unexpected to shatter perceptions of what you are capable of.

Emma Watson's Un Speech On Gender Equality

When Emma got the courage to speak in front of the UN in 2014, you could have heard a pin drop. In my opinion, she was brilliant. Poised, passionate, confident and vulnerable all at the same time. Her speech launched the HeForShe movement, which has shaped a new discussion on gender equality and women in the workplace. While many people applauded her efforts, she had her detractors who felt her speech was too basic.

Whenever you take a stand for something, there will be people who disagree with you. Your new idea could be revolutionary to the strategic direction of your department, yet there will be naysayers who grumble that it has no merit. What will you decide to do in the moment? You can choose to move forward with due diligence in spite of them, or you can shrink down and allow yourself and/or your department to be pushed back into the box.

Watson has enlisted the help of prominent CEOs, actors, and politicians by enrolling them in the HeForShe movement. She now stands on the world stage, and is encouraging a dialogue about what’s not working and how to change it. Now, a role that at first seemed unexpected for her is a perfect fit.

Emma Watson Is A Brilliant Actor

You, too, should rely on supporters, mentors, or a coach to help you break out of the mold you’re stuck in. Taking on the establishment and trying to change their perceptions about who you are and what you can do isn’t easy. You need people who can champion you, help you see the big picture, and become advocates for helping you move your agenda forward.

Let’s start a dialogue around these and other important lessons that will continue to advance us forward. Please share your thoughts below.SEATTLE — Emma Watson is taking a year hiatus from acting to focus on women’s activism and promote gender equality across the globe.

Watson spoke with feminist writer Bell Hooks, author of ‘Feminism is for Everybody’ in a recent interview for Paper magazine. During the conversation she revealed she plans to spend the upcoming year focusing on her work as the U.N. Women Goodwill Ambassador and her own personal development.

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Emma Watson: Actress, Women's Rights Activist, And Goodwill Ambassador: Actress, Women's Rights Activist, And Goodwill Ambassador (breakout Biographies): Dellaccio, Tanya: 9781538326176: Amazon.com: Books

“I want to listen to as many different women in the world as I can, ” Watson said in the interview. “That’s something that I’ve been doing on my own, through the U.N., the HeForShe campaign and my work generally.”

Emma Watson has been involved with women’s activism for several years. The successful actress was appointed to the U.N. Women’s advocacy position in July 2014, and has since focused her efforts on promoting the organization’s HeForShe campaign, which advocates for gender equality across the globe.

The campaign recently partnered with 10 of the world’s leading companies to release new workforce gender diversity figures in the U.N. Women’s HeForShe Parity Report. The report shows that a large gap still remains between the representation of women in the workforce and the number of women in corporate leadership positions worldwide.

Why Emma Watson's Feminist Speech Is All About Climate, Too

Gender inequality contributes to poverty across the globe. When women have equal access to education, and are fully involved in business and economic decision making, they are a key force against poverty, according to the United Nations Development Program. Gender equality directly translates to increased prospects and improved well-being of children and reduces the poverty levels of future generations.

“The chance to make a real difference is not an opportunity that everyone is given and is one I have no intention of taking lightly. Women’s rights are something so inextricably linked with who I am, so deeply personal and rooted in my life, ” Watson said to U.N. Women in 2014, after being appointed as the U.N Women Goodwill Ambassador. “I still have so much to learn, but as I progress I hope to bring more of my individual knowledge, experience and awareness to this role.”Edit Edit date and time

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Emma Watson has had a long history of promoting women’s equality across the globe. The actress has traveled to Bangladesh and Zambia as a part of her humanitarian and women’s activism efforts. Before her time promoting gender equality with the U.N., she served as an ambassador for Camfed International, a movement that focuses on educating girls in developing and rural areas in Africa.

What No One Tells You About Emma Watson Un Goodwill Ambassador

While Watson has been vocal about improving gender equality across the globe, the actress has also shown support for a variety of other causes. She recently voiced her support for refugees fleeing to Europe from war torn areas, posting “#refugeeswelcome” on Twitter last September.

In 2015, Watson raised over $2, 000 for the Small Steps Project, an organization that aims to help communities living near refuse dumps, by donating high end shoes to an auction benefiting the cause. The non-profit provides emergency aid, food and shoes to protect and reduce the amount of direct contact people in these areas have with trash, a global situation that is often overlooked.

“I don’t want to preach to the choir. I want to try to talk to people who might not encounter feminism and talk to them, ” Emma Watson said to Paper, referring to her women’s activism efforts. “It’s a really interesting job, and it’s a really interesting line to tread. I want to engage in the topic with people who wouldn’t normally.”

Malala Yousafzai Reveals That Emma Watson Is The Reason She Identifies As A Feminist

Sources: Breitbart , HeForShe , Public Slate , Independent Journal, Paper , Small Steps Project , The Leaky Cauldron , United Nations Development Programme, U.N. Women , USA Today

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BORGEN Magazine is produced by The Borgen Project, an influential humanitarian organization working to make global poverty a focus of U.S. foreign policy.Please take 30 seconds to fill out a survey form, then click back on your browser and click on “Continue to Printing” to print this page.

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He, She, Us: Emma Watson, The White House, And Efforts To Change The Culture On Women's Rights

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Feminism original work These days our world often has difficulty understanding the phrase “I’m a feminist.” Feminism is often misconstrued to be man-hating, when it is in fact the belief that men and women should be equal, meaning equal wages, and equal opportunities. Emma Watson is working to change society’s misunderstood definition of feminism and bring more people into the fight for equality. Watson is best known for her roles in the world-wide phenomenon series Harry Potter, in which she played Hermione Granger, a spunky, determined and intelligent young witch. She also more recently portrayed Belle in Disney’s live action remake of Beauty and the Beast. Watson is much more than just an actress,