Emma Watson Labeled a "Feminazi," Had "Arse" Slapped by a Man

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published 8 March 2016

It seems that every day, Emma Watson becomes more and more our beacon of (feminist) light. In a new interview with Esquire UK, the 25-year-old actress tackles everything from equal pay to the term "feminist" to sexism. And the whole interview is clearly a ploy to make us love her even more, which we never thought possible.

"We are not supposed to talk about money, because people will think you're "difficult" or a "diva". But there's a willingness now to be like, "Fine. Call me a 'diva', call me a 'feminazi', call me 'difficult', call me a "First World feminist', call me whatever you want, it's not going to stop me from trying to do the right thing and make sure that the right thing happens." Because it doesn't just affect me, it affects all the other women who are in this with me, and it affects all the other men who are in this with me, too.

Hollywood is just a small piece of a gigantic puzzle but it's in the spotlight. Whether you are a woman on a tea plantation in Kenya, or a stockbroker on Wall Street, or a Hollywood actress, no one is being paid equally."

"There are misconceptions about the word. The way it is constructed—it's obviously got 'feminine' in the word—immediately pushes men away from it, because they think, "Oh, it's got nothing to do with me." Also, they have this idea that it is about women competing with men, or being against men, or wanting to be men, which is a huge misconception."

"I've had my arse slapped as I've left a room. I've felt scared walking home. I've had people following me. I don't talk about these experiences much, because coming from me they'll sound like a huge deal and I don't want this to be about me, but most women I know have experienced it and worse...this is unfortunately how it is."

Read the full interview on Esquire.co.uk, prepare for your heart to swell.

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Samantha Leal is the Deputy Editor at Well+Good, where she spends most of her day thinking of new ideas across platforms, bringing on new writers, overseeing the day-to-day of the website, and working with the awesome team to produce the best stories and packages. Before W+G, she was the Senior Web Editor for Marie Claire and the Deputy Editor for Latina.com, with bylines all over the internet. Graduating from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University with a minor in African history, she’s written everything from travel guides to political op-eds to wine explainers (currently enrolled in the WSET program) to celebrity profiles. Find her online pretty much everywhere @samanthajoleal.