Malala and Emma in a still from the video
Several female celebrities at home and abroad have lately been rushing to reject the F-word - and it's not the one you might be thinking of. From Katrina Kaif and Madhuri Dixit to Lady Gaga and Katy Perry, women in showbiz across the world have said they do not identify as feminists. In some quarters, feminism has suddenly become an unspeakably dirty thing to be. So it's not surprising that the most riveting part of actress Emma Watson's interview with Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai dealt with why feminism is a 'tricky' word.
'Tricky' is the word used by Malala, 18, who was interviewed by UN ambassador Emma at a screening of
He Named Me Malala, a documentary on the Pakistani teenager who survived a brutal Taliban attack for advocating women's right to education. Emma, who began her career in the
Harry Potter films and now fronts a gender equality campaign named 'He For She,' asked Malala about identifying as a feminist and the importance of involving men in the fight for gender equality. Malala said, "This word feminism has been a very tricky word. When I heard it the first time, I heard some negative responses and some positive ones. And I hesitated in saying 'am I a feminist or not?' And then after hearing your speech, when you said 'If not now, when? If not me, who?' I decided that there's nothing wrong by calling yourself a feminist."
She added that people had 'forgotten' the real definition of feminism, telling Emma in the interview, "I am a feminist and we should all be feminists because feminism is another word for equality."
Malala, who was 15 when a gunman picked her out in a school bus and shot her three times, invoked her father in the interview, saying, "My father has set an example to all parents and all men that if we want equality and equal rights for men, then men have to step forward. It can't be that men it is the job of crazy feminists to change everything."
She also said that said people had 'misinterpreted religion: "People fail to understand religious believes especially when it comes to Islam. Islam means peace. Why is it so hard to love each other and be kind."
He Named Me Malala opens in India today.
Here are Emma's posts about meeting Malala, the interview, and Emma's speech to the UN last year to launch 'He For She.'