[Gallery] [Screencaps] [Fashion] [Beauty] [Version française]
From Vogue:
The age of influence, it’s said, is upon us. Whether on the front row or on the front benches – or simply leaning over our smartphones – we have more eyes on each other than at any time in history. As is also often said these days, it’s a lot.
Of course, in the fashion industry and across social media, the concept of an “influencer” has evolved in a few short years into one that we all fully understand. Many influencers are now stars in their own right, while millions more around the globe, armed with a new handbag and a winning filter, continue to strive for clicks and likes. It’s an important sea change, but I do sometimes wonder how many are doing anything truly useful with this modern superpower.
Emma Watson is one woman getting it right. Since she was cast as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter franchise 20 years ago (aged just nine), she has been one of the most recognisable faces on the planet. Famous in practically every corner of the world, she accumulated influence the old-fashioned way; coming of age in the digital era means she now finds herself with a cross-platform following of over 100 million engaged and devoted fans.
What Emma did next was nothing short of extraordinary. Instead of pursuing a traditional celebrity path – making back-to-back blockbusters or launching a brand – the actor’s personal sense of social justice drove her to turn her platform into a place where she could highlight the issues that she – and, crucially, the broad group of activists she surrounds herself with – finds most pressing.
She has become a genuine thought leader for many young people today, championing issues such as sustainability in fashion, reproductive rights and intersectional feminism. Memorably, Nobel Peace Prize recipient Malala Yousafzai once told Emma that hearing her speak at the UN in 2014 made her finally feel comfortable enough to self-identify as a feminist. As writer and fellow activist Paris Lees discovers in the December issue, Emma is devoted to amplifying voices – and she is refreshingly candid, reflecting as never before on the realities of her life as she approaches her 30th birthday in 2020. I am delighted to be able to celebrate her in Vogue.
Emma Watson: “I’m Very Happy Being Single. I Call It Being Self-Partnered”
As the actor and activist Emma Watson approaches 30, she talks to Paris Lees about her extraordinary life, and transcending child stardom to become a voice for change in the December issue of British Vogue.
The story of how Emma Watson became one of the most recognisable women on the planet is folklore of sorts. She was nine-years-old when she was picked out of a line-up of would-be actors in her school gym to be in a film that would change her life forever. Twenty years later, and that child star is now one of the world’s most bankable actors and recognised activists.
This Christmas, Watson is back on the big screen as Margaret “Meg” March in Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. The project couldn’t be a better fit for Emma, combining, as it does, many of her loves: literature, film and exploring the female experience. “With Meg’s character, her way of being a feminist is making the choice – because that’s really, for me anyway, what feminism is about,” Watson tells Lees. “Her choice is that she wants to be a full-time mother and wife. To Jo [Saoirse Ronan], being married is really some sort of prison sentence. But Meg says, ‘You know, I love him [John Brooke, who is played by James Norton] and I’m really happy and this is what I want. And just because my dreams are different from yours, it doesn’t mean they’re unimportant.”
Which begs the question: what are Emma Watson’s dreams? She turns 30 in April, and describes 2019 as having been “tough”, because she “had all these ideas” about what her life was supposed to look like at this age. “I was like, ‘Why does everyone make such a big fuss about turning 30? This is not a big deal…’” she shares. “Cut to 29, and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I feel so stressed and anxious. And I realise it’s because there is suddenly this bloody influx of subliminal messaging around. If you have not built a home, if you do not have a husband, if you do not have a baby, and you are turning 30, and you’re not in some incredibly secure, stable place in your career, or you’re still figuring things out… There’s just this incredible amount of anxiety.”
If it’s staggering to think that Watson worries about this stuff, it’s comforting, too. “I never believed the whole ‘I’m happy single’ spiel,” she continues. “I was like, ‘This is totally spiel.’ It took me a long time, but I’m very happy [being single]. I call it being self-partnered.”
One of her greatest pleasures in making Little Women, she says, was spending time with fellow actor-activists. “What was really nice about working with Laura Dern and Meryl Streep was that the three of us knew each other way before we did Little Women. We met in activist spaces, so we had this allyship and solidarity as activists that had been part of a certain movement before we ever worked together.”
5 Emma Watson-Approved Feminist Books To Read Now
Emma Watson is an avid reader. So much so that, not only does she hide books across London for commuters to discover, she also launched her own online feminist book club, Our Shared Shelf, in a bid to promote female writers from far and wide. As the actor covers the December issue of British Vogue, we take a closer look at some of the empowering, thought-provoking books she’s championed.
Women Who Run With The Wolves By Clarissa Pinkola Estés
It may have been published in 1992, but Women Who Run With The Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés still resonates with women decades later. Focussing on the female psyche, the book challenges the notion that women’s emotions are trivial. Instead, it presents a positive picture of the “wild woman” in all of her glory.
Outrageous Acts And Everyday Rebellions By Gloria Steinem
Now in its second edition – and having sold over half a million copies – Gloria Steinem’s collection of essays is truly wonderful. As a well-known activist and journalist, Steinem’s writing offers up an insight into what it truly means to be a woman in this world. From her stint as a Playboy bunny to her investigative work into FGM [female genital mutilation], she’s left no stone unturned throughout her stellar career.
The Vagina Monologues By Eve Ensler
In short, The Vagina Monologues is a celebration of female sexuality (and the once rarely spoken of female genitals). Witty, warm and upfront, it explores and challenges the way that women view their bodies. Not only has Ensler’s play been performed on stage in cities across the globe, it has grown into the grassroots V-Day movement, which aims to put an end to violence against women and girls. Amen to that.
The Things I Would Tell You By Sabrina Mahfouz
The Things I Would Tell You attempts to challenge the often narrow-minded perception of what it means to be a modern Muslim woman in the best way possible: by bringing women together to share their stories. Take note.
Good And Mad: The Revolutionary Power Of Women’s Anger By Rebecca Traister
We often fear male rage – but what about women’s? In Good And Mad: The Revolutionary Power Of Women’s Anger, Traister uses a political lens through which she tracks our relationship with female fury throughout history. After the dawn of the #MeToo movement in 2017, it couldn’t be more timely, nor crucial amid the ongoing fight against double standards.
Emma Watson Checked The Green Credentials Of Everything She Wore On Her British Vogue Shoot
Emma Watson has been a pioneer when it comes to championing ethical dressing and cites Good On You, a free fashion evaluation app, as the best means of informing her wardrobe choices. The actor worked with the Vogue team to curate her looks for the December cover shoot using the tool to rate the environmental impact of the brands.
“We’re often asked not what we are wearing but ‘who’,” Watson said when she announced her role as an official Good On You supporter earlier this year. “It’s as if the ideas behind the clothes – the label, the designer, the collection – have more meaning than the garment itself. There’s a bigger story to be told about the conditions in which our clothes are made, the resources that have been used and the impact they’ve had on communities.”
Good On You was born out of Australian entrepreneurs Sandra Capponi and Gordon Renouf’s mission to create a concise, user-friendly way to present brands’ ethical standards, so that people could make better choices. Upon launching in 2015, the platform received more than 10,000 downloads within 10 days. It has since expanded to the US and Europe, and its ratings are available for everyone to view on Goodonyou.eco.
“The conversation around ethical fashion has changed,” Capponi tells Vogue. “But the problem is cutting through the greenwashing, and the media spins on whether Fair Trade is better than organic or vegan etc.” Good On You rates brands in relation to their impact on people, the planet and animals – the three key areas its research shows are important to shoppers – and gives each a simple rating out of five. “Fundamentally, the system is about supply chains,” Capponi continues. “Does the brand know where and how its clothes were made, from what materials and by whom? Does it care? And, if it does know, is it being open and transparent about these things?”
Watson first connected with Good On You in 2018 to support her role as guest editor of Vogue Australia’s sustainability issue. “It was so great to see the commitment from the team at British Vogue to make the Good On You process work,” says Capponi of the shoot edit. “Some of the brands we already had information on, and it was a process of double-checking this was absolutely up to date. For others, we gathered information, evaluated, verified and produced an overall rating.”
In order for a brand to be rated, it must disclose public information on its production and manufacturing processes. “Transparency is really important as it drives accountability and progress,” explains Capponi. “We stand firmly in the shoes of the shopper, who we believe has the right to know this information, so we encourage all brands to publish it as a basic step.” Good On You praises fashion houses within the Kering portfolio for their streamlined sustainability initiatives and goals, such as Alexander McQueen, Bottega Veneta and Stella McCartney, all of which Watson wears in the shoot.
For independent brands with limited resources, obtaining and packaging data in a format suitable for Good On You can be challenging. Coupled with the fact that it takes Capponi’s team “huge amounts of time and resources to research and rate each brand”, the 2,500 labels profiled on the website are not a complete measure of the industry. “We’re still just a small start-up,” Capponi counters. “Scaling quickly enough to meet the demand is a challenge. We know we need to keep improving our technology and rating more brands.”
Three hundred thousand people currently join Watson by logging on to Good On You to measure the green credentials of companies. The end goal for the campaign is to successfully make checking the circularity of a garment as easy as looking at the size or price of it. “We want to see a world where it’s no longer acceptable for fashion brands to generate mountains of waste, pollute air and water, employ people in unsafe factories for poverty wages, and mistreat animals,” surmises Capponi.
Good On You’s work is a step towards a better informed consumer landscape – one that is bolstered by ambassadors such as Watson – but the appetite for knowledge has to grow. In 2019, the best we can all do is educate ourselves. Read garment labels, download apps that help you live more sustainably, and if you can’t find the answers, ask questions. Organisations such as Fashion Revolution, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the C&A Foundation have been sounding the alarm for years, but this year has finally seen the industry wake up and start to take sustainability seriously. The test will be whether activists, brands and campaigns can work together to move the conversation forward.
If you have news to share (pictures, infos, scans...), please send an email to eden@emmawatson-updates.com
Follow the blog:
54 comments:
Turns out while people were bitching that “Emma iS nOt pRmOtInG tHE mOvIE” she had done a shot and interview for Vogue promoting it, which btw gives a lot more exposure to the movie than going to a screening
Somehow people will find a way to bitch about this too...
"Somehow people will find a way to bitch about this too..." she stole Pugh and Saorsie spotlight REEEEEEEEEE !1!!!!111!!!!
I just hope the interview gives some glimpse into whether she's planning to keep acting...
"I just hope the interview gives some glimpse into whether she's planning to keep acting..."
And put us out of our misery? You know that's not happening XD
The reports of the magazines, they are not made in a month, they take a long time, months of preparation, I know because I did practices in a fashion magazine.
So Emma could have done the promotion this month of october.
She is very beautiful and elegant on photos, It is amazing report!!
Beautfil, elegant, classic and intelligent. This is Emma Watson :)
Beautiful*
Eden, Are there video of Behind the Scenes? I love these videos!!
"Eden, Are there video of Behind the Scenes? I love these videos!"
I don't recall Vogue UK ever releasing a bts video of any photoshoot with Emma unfortunately so I doubt it.
Not a huge fan of the look and dress they went for on the cover, but the rest of the pictures are lovely, especially the black and white one.
"Turns out while people were bitching that “Emma iS nOt pRmOtInG tHE mOvIE” she had done a shot and interview for Vogue promoting it, which btw gives a lot more exposure to the movie than going to a screening"
She barely mentions 'Little Women'.
She pops into a studio for a day and does an interview promoting herself.
Feminist booklist...check
'green' fashion...check
activism mention...check
Although to be fair 'self partnering' is new.
People who think the article is about promoting 'Little Women' are kidding themselves. This is all about promoting Brand Emma.
To quote the author of the article; "I am delighted to be able to celebrate her in Vogue."
I really hate to say, but I'm pretty underwhelmed by this shoot. Doesn't feel natural, and I'm not big on the hair or those red dresses.
The black and white one is okay, but she's done better B&W, and this just doesn't do as much to play to her smokier side.
Doing this shoot, regardless of whether she discusses little women, is a promotional piece anyway. She's by far the most popular cast member and the reason she hasn't started her press tour is because her role isn't as big as the other main ones (who are also campaigning for big awards). The other supporting actors/actresses (Bob Odenkirk, James Norton, Meryl Streep etc) are also not doing any real promotion for this at the moment, yet Emma seems to get the brunt of the 'criticism' on this blog from the same kind of cynical people who are here more for her looks and don't even pay attention to what she actually does.
I didn't realize how a certain part of Emma's 'fandom' was actually so cruel and insensitive. I'm convinced the ignorant comments on here are from people who just want her to showcase her beauty through revealing photoshoots and whatnot. Even one comment here said similar. Like get over yourselves, she doesn't owe you anything.
Every appearance of hers is met with the same surface level comments, I get being frustrated by a lack of news (especially regarding acting/films) but why do people still leave such ignorant, sometimes dumb and hateful comments here?
I'm wondering how the idea of being single (and feeling very well with yourself) resonates with the fact she does a new boyfriend every few months. I'm just asking.
I'm a huge enemy of every single kind of censorship.
But what's happening on this forum within the last few days is beyond my understanding.
A German speaking moron (sorry, I cannot describe her/him differently) is posting a German crap (I speak German and I can tell you: it has nothing to do with Emma) making every thread a nightmare to go through.
Eden, are you able to block him/her (based on the IP the idiot is using) for good?
Same
Wow she really is damned if she does and damned if she doesn't huh? If she does an interview with Vogue it's somehow her fault that the interviewer doesn't ask more questions about "Little Women". But if she doesn't do an interview then she's lazy for not doing one. The press tour for "Little Women" hasn't even started but apparently she can't do anything right. Saoirse, Timothee and Florence are the ones who's roles are big enough to be considered for awards. So can someone please explain to me why most people are on Emma's dick about it.
The Anon who said she's only promoting herself and not "Little Women" Last time I checked the person being interviewed doesn't get to pick what questions are going to be asked. All she did was answer the ones that they asked her, so how is the brief mention of " Little Women " her fault? And it's not like "Little Women" is the only thing in her life nor is it the only thing people want to ask her about. It's almost as if she's an actual person all year round.. She's an actress and activist,so why are you so surprised that she was asked about other topics than just the movie?
Also, this isn't the full interview, which will be published on friday. I'm sure there'll some more on Little Women in there. But honestly, the movie gets talked about enough, I'd rather get some tidbits about Emma, even if it's through something as artificial and filtered as a fashion magazine interview.
Those are not real comments, it's spam. I keep flagging them as such, as it's unfortunately the only thing I can do, until Blogger finally automatically put them in the spam bin so viewers won't have to deal with them.
There is an interview on youtube!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQynYGDpyiw
That's the first of her interviews I've watched all the way through, it's really good.
I don't think she knows what it is to be single, when two months after finishing a relationship, she starts another
Hi Eden !! Can you write some of Emma's most important or interesting answers in the Vogue video? My English is very bad, and I find it difficult to hear in English, I prefer to read it, but it is very annoying, not the whole video, of course, only what you think is most relevant
Eden do you know have all the photos been disclosed? As I remember there was not only four photos (excluding cove photo) in the previous Vogue (be it US, UK or France)
Sorry since when was she an oracle? She has never lived in the real world. She comes across very poorly like some rich person pretending to know about the 'real world...'
Self-Partner? Self-Pretentious more like.
Oh and before you start I am a fan but I just wish she'd stick to movies. Nobody apart from the hardcore fans will enjoy this.
trending on twitter getting torn apart and rightly so. she lives in another world we could only dream of. please stick to 'acting' emma.
I see the self partnered as a tongue in cheek comment that she isnt monogamous. The public was starting to call her out so she needed to get ahead of it. She still has an image to protect. I wonder if she regrets it as it hinders her lifestyle. She cant live openly like Miley Cyrus or Amber Rose because of it. Maybe this is the beginning of a rebrand.
Jesus Christ if you guys find Emma Watson so annoying and unbearable why would you come to a fanpage of hers? Just go follow a celebrity you actually like.
To all the people commenting some variation of “She says she’s single but she has a new man every month”, if you actually watch the interview she says she’s dating, as in casually going on dates but that she doesn’t actually have a partner or serious relationship. She also says she’s currently friends with men she went on dates with or were lovers in the past. It makes perfect sense to me, all these men may be flings but none of them are or ever were “Emma’s boyfriend”. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with her dating life. Serious monogamous relationships aren’t all there is in the world and acting like there aren’t other options is outdated and self-centered. If you are upset by her having casual lovers instead of one serious boyfriend then you need to mind your own business. Just because this isn’t a lifestyle that you would like for yourself doesn’t mean is wrong for other people.
Serious question here... If you don't like Emma then why do you keep up with what she's doing or with her fan pages. Instead of giving your attention to celebrities you actually like?
Some people are just miserable and negative all the time. There's objective criticism, and then there's people who jump on any occasion to bitch about Emma (or other celebrities, for that matter).
I'm glad to see her involvement in the promo for "Little Women" has started. I'll definitely be seeing the movie.
" Instead of giving your attention to celebrities you actually like?"
I like her movies and her pictures just not her pretentious interviews. DEAL WITH IT.
Emmas has never confirmed a boyfriend so no surprise she isnt doing it now.
“I like her movies and her pictures not her pretentious interviews. DEAL WITH IT.”
Then why do you watch/read her interviews? You are just upsetting yourself
"I like her movies and her pictures just not her pretentious interviews. DEAL WITH IT."
Don't listen to, watch or read her interviews, then. Save yourself the trouble. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Monogamy isnt compatible with feminism. Keep in mind we only see Emma with a guy if she wants us to see it. Do you think she gets photographed with every men she has been with? Most certainly not. Especially if its a one time thing. Some comments sound like prude virgins. I guarantee you all non-religious women in your life have casual sex.
Always remember "dick is overabundant and of low value".
"dick is overabundant and of low value"
So is pussy.
new teeth? or maybe just my imagination
"Then why do you watch/read her interviews? You are just upsetting yourself"
Because I am a fan and I put up with it. Hoping she will come across better like the old days.
"new teeth? or maybe just my imagination" They do stick out. Watson had american teeth for a while now tho.
Si, dientes nuevos.
Me gustaban mas los naturales pero es su elección.
This whole ''self partnered'' thing is just synonym. She can call herself whatever she wants, but let's be real she's single and she has a problem with that lebel. But need of new term, basically lebaled her even more. The same think is with an age. In my opinion, happenings determind the changes in our live, not age. If it is a case, a problem is in your head.
She said she's casually dating, let's be honest its not like she's not attractive or charming enough to have a boyfriend. She just might not want something serious right now. What's the problem with that?
Honestly a shame "self-partnered" is the thing that got all the attention here, considering it was barely a part of this. So much more meaningful discussion here, one of her best interviews imo
There is no problem at all. It looks like she has a problem with a word ''single'' which is not a pejorative term. Searching and needing another term is simply pointless and show she's a little insecure.
>She said she's casually dating
She didnt say that tho. Or was it in a different interview?
To the anon that was wondering were she said that shes casually dating. Its in the 30 minutes interview video towards the end.
I watched the last minutes where they talk about dating and she doesnt say "casual dating" once. Its the Vogue video right?
I think that the other amount meant, she's dating but its not "official" or that she's going on dates and sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. But she doesn't have any official "boyfriend".
*anon
Casual dating means she is sleeping with multiple people and dating around at the same time. Going on dates from time to time with different people isnt casual dating. Hence why she didnt use the term.
She doesnt want to talk about it anyway. But! We can be sure she is with the italian guy. She kissed him in public and was on vacation with him.
she didn't look into Italian job at all though
Post a Comment