It appears Emma Watson has been on somewhat of a mission in recent months to spread the work of her Our Shared Self project, encouraging the world to read as many books and essays about equality as possible. The actress even distributed free copies of each month's chosen literature from the streets of New York to the London Underground, and some of Paris' most exquisite architectural sights.
However, the 27-year-old has hit pause on posting videos of her taking to the streets with books, by taking welcoming a very important and inspiring lady in her life to social media –Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai.
Yesterday, the Harry Potter star greetrf the 19-year-old Nobel Peace Prize-winner on Twitter, posting the message:
Malala first joined Twitter last week, admitting that she had joined the social media platform the same day she finished school.
Malala and Emma's relationship dates back to 2015 when the actress interviewed the then 18-year-old about her life and advocacy.
In the clip, posted to Facebook by Watson, Malala admitted she felt inspired to call herself a feminist because of a speech the actress and UN Women Goodwill ambassador delivered on gender equality.
'It has been a tricky word,' she told Watson. 'When I heard it the first time I heard some negative responses and some positive ones. I hesitated in saying am I feminist or not?
'Then after hearing your speech when you said 'if not now, when?' I decided there's no way and there's nothing wrong by calling yourself a feminist. So I'm a feminist and we all should be a feminist because feminism is another word for equality,' she added.
Following the interview, Emma admitted that the most profound moment was when Yousafzai – who has an unconditional offer to study at Oxford University in September – identified herself as a feminist, saying that she was surprised to hear the Yousafzai use the term.
'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,' Watson wrote on 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. Malala and I are pretty serious about it but we need you,' she added.
We're all ears, Emma and Malala.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
