Not many 18-year-olds can call themselves a Noble Prize winner, but Malala can. The human rights and female education activist revealed that she had trouble calling herself a feminist, but "Harry Potter" actress Emma Watson made her unafraid of the word. The two inspiring female figures sat down together and spoke about "He Named Me Malala," education and gender equality.
The 18-year-old said in the interview that she initially thought of feminism as a "tricky word," according to USA Today. The thing that changed her mind was Watson's moving speech at the United Nations.
"I hesitated in saying am I feminist or not," Malala told Watson. "After hearing your speech, when you said, 'If not now, when? If not me, who?' I decided there's no way, and there's nothing wrong with calling yourself a feminist. I am a feminist and you're truly feminist, because feminism is another word for equality."
Watson was seemingly very touched by Malala's words and told her that the idea of feminism has become difficult because of the stigma of the word.
"But I think it's wonderful when people embrace it," Watson said. "It's synonymous with equality."
Watson is the U.N. global ambassador for women and gave a speech last year to launch her "He for She" campaign, which seeks to help men stick up for women's rights.
"Let's not make it scary to say you're a feminist," Watson wrote on her Facebook. "I want to make it a welcoming and inclusive movement. Let's join our hands and move together so we can make real change."
Check out the interview with Watson and Malala below.
Into Film Festival opening Q&AToday I met Malala. She was giving, utterly graceful, compelling and intelligent. That might sound obvious but I was struck by this even more in person. There are lots of NGOs out there in the world doing great things... But if there were one I would put my money on to succeed and make change on this planet, it would be hers. (The Malala Fund). Malala isn't messing around or mincing her words (one of the many reasons I love her). She has the strength of her convictions coupled with the kind of determination I rarely encounter... And it doesn't seem to have been diminished by the success she has already had. And lastly…She has a sense of peace around her. I leave this for last because it is perhaps the most important. Maybe as a result of what she has been through? I personally think it is just who she is…Perhaps the most moving moment of today for me was when Malala addressed the issue of feminism. To give you some background, I had initially planned to ask Malala whether or not she was a feminist but then researched to see whether she had used this word to describe herself. Having seen that she hadn't, I decided to take the question out before the day of our interview. To my utter shock Malala put the question back into one of her own answers and identified herself. Maybe feminist isn't the easiest word to use... But she did it ANYWAY. You can probably see in the interview how I felt about this. She also gave me time at the end of the Q&A to speak about some of my own work, which she most certainly didn't need to do, I was there to interview her. I think this gesture is so emblematic of what Malala and I went on to discuss. I've spoken before on what a controversial word feminism is currently. More recently, I am learning what a factionalized movement it is too. We are all moving towards the same goal. Let's not make it scary to say you're a feminist. I want to make it a welcoming and inclusive movement. Let's join our hands and move together so we can make real change. Malala and I are pretty serious about it but we need you. With love, Emma x#HeNamedMeMalala #notjustamovieamovement Malala Fund Into Film
Posted by Emma Watson on Wednesday, November 4, 2015
