Opinion The label fits

Newly minted UN Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson — also known as Hermione Granger, frequent saviour of Harry Potter and Ron Weasley — delivered a passionate defence of feminism in a speech at the UN headquarters last weekend. For Watson to fearlessly identify herself as a feminist at a time when many women, especially celebrities, are forgoing the label in order to avoid being caricatured as bitter man-haters, is a powerful statement. Watson is the second female celebrity in the last month to challenge the persisting misconception that feminism is a zero-sum game that elevates women and denigrates men. Beyonce’s performance of a song that sampled author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Tedx talk defining a feminist as a “person who believes in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes” at the MTV Video Music Awards went viral.

There is a dispiriting trend of female role models rejecting “feminism” because “I love men” (Shailene Woodley) or “I hail men” (Lady Gaga) or “I don’t, I think, have sort of the militant drive and sort of the chip on the shoulder that sometimes comes with that” (Marissa Mayer). Feminism has a clear public relations problem in that the divisive and sometimes hateful strands within it have acquired outsize prominence.

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Many women in positions of power — be they actors, politicians, pop stars or corporate leaders — sidestep discussions of gender as it pertains to their professions in particular and society in general. It can be a thankless task to take a position on gender politics, opening the door to sexist and misogynistic comments that objectify or dismiss as “shrill” the women who dare speak out. That is why the movement must celebrate those who bravely wade into the muck, like Watson and Beyonce.