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Emma Watson is best known as Harry Potter’s brainy friend Hermione Granger, but the actor has another starring role these days as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador. Watson most recently launched the groundbreaking gender equality campaign HeForShe, which calls on men and boys to be the new face of women’s rights. Feminism and women’s advocacy has traditionally been seen as a female cause - HeForShe is looking to change that by encouraging males to be advocates and partners in the advancement of gender equality.
In her impassioned speech at the UN HeForShe launch, Watson questions gender stereotyping and makes the case for equality between men and women stating that, “If we stop defining each other by what we are not and start defining ourselves by what we are - we can all be freer and this is what HeForShe is about. It’s about freedom.”
In the next 12 months, Watson and the HeForShe team’s goal is to reach one billion men around the world, and their site features a real-time map with a geolocator that tracks men’s engagement. Regardless of gender, everyone is invited to get involved by taking the HeForShe pledge or tapping into their social media to voice support by using the hashtag #HeForShe on Twitter and Instagram. For those looking to champion HeForShe in their local communities, the movement provides an in-depth action kit in six different languages.
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