Emma Watson talks to Paris Lees about feminism

[HandsOffMyRights]

'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,”

Interesting that "female choice" is what Emma deems feminism to be, as reported by Lees.

www.vogue.co.uk/news/article/emma-watson-on-fame-activism-little-women

Emma showing her brand of feminism here

metro.co.uk/2018/10/18/emma-watson-praised-for-being-lgbtq-ally-by-wearing-trans-rights-are-human-rights-t-shirt-8051491/

In fact the paper almost asked what was wrong with her.

choice

It is about choice, because no woman is truly free to make choices whist subordinated within a patriarchal system.

I doubt that’s what she meant though.

GhoulieBat

The problem for someone in her position, as I see it, really isn't about feminism specifically. It's the entirety of the way we think about freedom and self-actualisation.

Unless you are self-concious enough, and maybe historically aware enough, to see how frail a concept that really is, or at least see that there could be other ways to think about it, a lot of the things you are talking about won't resonate, they won't create an ah-ha moment.

I also think a lot of people never really come across those things, even if it seems to us like they are everywhere. You don't know what you don't know, IYSWIM.

Wow, I watched that video and I ended up feeling sorry for her. She comes across like she's putting on a huge front and is quite anxious underneath. She doesn't seem comfortable at all with Paris either, all those questions "Why don't you follow me on Instagram?" Said about three times, just to make sure the message got through.

She's been famous for almost all of her life, it must have been very hard to take all that in at such a young age. How do you grow up and know yourself when all that is happening to you?

Lees didn't mess around either, getting straight to the point "Would you accept me in your toilets?" "Does it depend on surgery?" What a asking her a question like that - "Yes Paris I accept female penis." Grim,

Doesn't take much googling to see what Emma was having to deal with as a very young woman:

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4967086/Emma-Watson-says-stands-Weinstein-s-victims.html

Predatory men transgressing female boundaries.

Whoever said that the power dynamic was messed up in the interview was absolutely right. Someone was putting on a display of power in the interview, power they have because of an accident of birth and then a special status awarded later, and it wasn't Emma. She was doing what women are always supposed to do in those kind of situations - submitting and appeasing. It's the fourth F in this list - "flight, fight, freezing and fawning".

Quite apart from anything other than literature that's an embarrassing thing to say about Meg March

Laurie's tutor approaches her parents who then inform her he's asked.

At that point it's a done deal as Meg is grateful to get an offer because they are penniless

Later, Meg is heavily pregnant, with twins, John brings a work colleague home unexpectedly and scolds Meg for their untidy home and lack of a hot dinner on the table having magically catered for someone she didn't know was coming.

She later apologises to her husband

Yay, such feminism, much choice

Oh and also Meg's main storyline is her stay at a society home. The family were society but fell on hard times and so are still considered old money. The others feel sorry for her and dress her up as she only has faded dresses.

When Laurie turns up he basically slut shames her and tells her she is a disgrace to her family.

She agrees with him.

Yay!!! For it is SO feminist to allow a man to tell you what you wear infers your character.

Little Women is not a feminist novel, not by a mile. So cringe to try and force a feminist angle on anything other than some facets of Jo's portrayal

I always remember the saga of Jo and her temper and how the character Marmee was set up as the example to follow as the woman who never lost her temper.

When you think of how Little Women was based on the Alcott family and how her father reduced them to penury with his madcap schemes, you wonder how much putting up and shutting up was required of the women in that family.

Feel sorry for Emma she was cast as Meg - such a dull character. Although looking at the trailer Jo seems to be miscast too, I’d have thought Emma would be a better choice.

Little Women is a feminist novel, of its time. Alcott was a feminist and Jo is definitely a proto feminist heroine and has been for generations of little (and big) girls.

I don't understand why Watson's fans are getting defensive about women here commenting on the interview rather than the interview itself. If it was a celeb I was fond of and some arsehole asked to interview them and then spent half the interview interrogating them about the extent to which they were willing to be of service to the interviewer to the point of them almost having an emotional breakdown it's the interviewer who I'd be irritated with. The attempt to present them as activist peers is absurd - Watson is famous and Lees writes articles about how much Lees enjoys being catcalled for Vice. If they're peers then I'm a bloody duchess.

TheProd

Not a fan of "Watson" only of women who call themselves feminist when so few do - famous or not!

But point taken, apology to all.

The interviewer is a pri*k

On that we can wholeheartedly agree.

I thought it was when lees was robbing someone?

I think both are correct.

Emma has posted a photo on Instagram from the interview. She's perched on the edge of the sofa, not looking comfortable, with her wrists crossed defensively in front of her, whilst Lees looks very happy taking up space and has a propretorial hand on Emma's shoulder. I wonder how many Vogue journalists would normally do that to their movie star interviewee, or feel able to .

www.instagram.com/p/B4fj969pt7z/

Lees definitely sees themselves on a par with Emma Watson with her 52 million Instagram followers.

Funny how TRAs complain that feminists are "obsessed with genitals" when it was Lees who brought genitals into that particular conversation with the question about surgery. It's quite a coup though to get Emma Watson to say publicly that a penis doesn't matter when you want to visit the ladies toilet.

The question about embarrassing sexual experiences was another boundary violation. Watson handled it nicely turning it back to kissing and "making out", but how many normal journos would get away with a question like that. They'd be crossed off the PR approved list immediately. Paris is enjoying their moment in the sun though, with Vogue gigs and telly appearances.

I mentioned earlier about the power dynamic. I think PL has very little experience of interviewing outside of a certain ‘style’. After all the me stuff and ‘activism’ talk she was basically enjoying making Emma Watson squirm and be embarrassed. The ‘sex’ question at the end was really embarrassing and I felt for Emma Watson. I think it was really inappropriate and was an attempt by PL to appear as if she was really connected to her and was doing that ‘girls night out’ banter but it was also a power thing and reminded me a little of this interview in the way that she actually dominated her interviewee and revelled in making them squirm. It’s a very short (less than 2 minutes) BBC3 ‘interview’ with Olly from Years and Years, in a Jacuzzi featuring a jar of gherkins so don’t watch if you’re not up for the line of questioning you may visualise from that description! www.dailymotion.com/video/x4li9wr

Omg somsquirming at that vid with olly. He was so erm not happy

How old is that boy? Because he really doesn't look like he ought to be in a jacuzzi with a person in their 30s quizzing him about sex.

He’s 29 so looks younger. He’s a real LGBT champion with his band Years and Years and their music is very poppy and upbeat. He’s going to play an 18 year old boy in a Russell T Davies production about growing up in the shadow of AIDS. He was well up for all the banter with Paris but looked genuinely embarrassed too. No shrinking violet and is good mates with Monroe B too.

Driech it's interesting you mention the hand on the shoulder.

When India Willoughby was taking part in the chat with Piers and woke male the other week, India put India's hand on the male as if in a gesture of control.

I commented above. I didn't see a question about sex. I think I gave up before the end - I found it a bit tedious. That sort of question is beyond inappropriate. I found some of the earlier ones inappropriate too (peeing next to me) but I assumed the two were actually friends/friendly, so rude, but cheap shots.

If this is Lees' standard then any celeb who agrees to a Lees interview from now on is crazy. Asking an A list star those questions should get them blacklisted immediately.

And the photo at the end..Watson has her hands crossed on Lees' knees. Lees is sitting pretty square to the camera, Watson at "feminine" angle, with legs together. Lees hasn't quite got there on that one...