Emma Watson has hit back at critics claiming her ‘topless’ photo in the latest issue of Vanity Fair is hypocritical, saying that she was utterly baffled by the whole thing and that “feminism is not a stick with which to beat other women with.”
ICYMI, the actress and outspoken feminist appeared on the cover of VF last week, coinciding with her turn as Belle in the highly anticipated ‘Beauty and the Beast‘ live-action remake.
When we reported on the shoot last week, there were definitely a few critics in VF’s Instagram comments section, claiming that Watson’s agreement to be photographed in that outfit was hypocritical and at odds with her feminist work. We just kind of just hoped it’d go away. (Spoiler: it didn’t.)
Emma Watson: “Feminism, feminism… gender wage gap… why oh why am I not taken seriously… feminism… oh, and here are my tits!” pic.twitter.com/gb7OvxzRH9
— Julia Hartley-Brewer (@JuliaHB1) March 1, 2017
The Independent strips Emma Watson of agency, claims that as a women, she is unable to make smart choices and is too dim to understand that. pic.twitter.com/Q9mGl86KZz
— Stefan Molyneux (@StefanMolyneux) March 5, 2017
In a fiery new interview with the BBC, Watson hit back at her critics.
“Feminism is about giving women choice,” she said. “Feminism is not a stick with which to beat other women with. It’s about freedom, it’s about liberation, it’s about equality. I really don’t know what my tits have to do with it.
“It’s very confusing. I’m confused. Most people are confused. I’m just kind of quietly stunned.”
Watch her interview below:
Photo: Todd Williamson / Getty.