Emma Watson Photo Starts Bizarre Feminism Uproar

She can't possibly be a feminist if she's willing to wear this, some argue
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 2, 2017 1:44 PM CST
Emma Watson Starts Feminism Brouhaha With Risqué Photo
The "topless" photo that sparked the uproar.   (Vanity Fair)

Emma Watson didn't even take her top all the way off, and people are freaking out. The Beauty and the Beast star posed for Vanity Fair wearing a sheer top that bared part of her breasts, and as Sky News reports, the backlash was swift. "Emma Watson: 'Feminism, feminism... gender wage gap... why oh why am I not taken seriously... feminism... oh, and here are my t--s!'" tweeted Daily Mail columnist Julia Hartley-Brewer in a typical example of the criticism that arose. In response to Hartley-Brewer's tweet, Times editor Giles Coren wrote (but has apparently since deleted), "That dim-witted, attention-seeking hoyden doesn't just give feminists a bad name, she gives THE HUMAN RACE a bad name." But others were quick to defend Watson.

"Your mole would like to point out the irony in attempting to undermine the actor’s feminist credentials by OBJECTIFYING HER BODY AND CRITICISING HER CHOICES," the New Statesman's Media Mole blog states. "As if we needed any further proof of the need for feminism." Over at Metro, Olivia Waring does have a problem with Watson, but it has nothing to do with her choice of attire: "Walt Disney was famously conservative and actually pretty archaic in his views of what women should do with their lives, which was reflected in all of the traditional fairytales his company made." Not much has changed recently, she writes, so if we're going to criticize Watson about anything related to her feminist credentials, it should be her choice to work with Disney. (Here's why Watson won't take selfies with fans.)

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