What’s the point of having a voice if you don’t speak out? Simple. You will be torn down. By the press, by the media, sometimes even by friends and family.
Celebrities are no stranger to activism, we all admire the Emma Watsons and Leonardo DiCaprios of the world using their platforms to give a voice to issues that matter. They expect to be torn down, but they expect to be torn down by the same amount, however the depressing truth is female activists are reported in a different light to their male counterparts. In 2016, The Guardian’s headline, “Emma Watson: feminist to the core or a carefully polished brand?”, 2016 The Guardian’s headline also read, “How Leonardo DiCaprio became one of the world's top climate change champions”. In 2019, The Daily Mail published “Emma Watson uses every public forum to give us a little manifesto, telling other women how to think, what we should be doing to save the planet, how to stop injustices and bring about equality for all”, “she manages to be one of the most annoying people around”. Taylor Swift was repeatedly told to stop acting like a victim, after her new song “The Man”, written about the gender inequality she had faced in her life, was released. Why are women branded “irritating” and “pretentious” for speaking out? They are criticised for doing it for the image. But men? “Heroic”. When a man speaks his mind the world is eternally grateful for his contribution.
We need to start recognising the obvious difference, think about why it happens - learn to mind the gap.
Written by Brishti
Media by Ben Hyland
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