Emma Watson on being smart
In a recent interview, Emma Watson talks about her character Hermione in the “Harry Potter” films as a role model for girls.
“There are too many stupid girls in the media,” Watson says. “Hermione’s not scared to be clever. I think sometimes really smart girls dumb themselves down a bit, and that’s bad.
“I’m a bit of a feminist,” she proclaims. “I’m very competitive and challenging.”
Though she resented it at first, Watson has come to appreciate the emphasis on Hermione’s brains rather than her appearance.
“When I was 9 or 10, I would get really upset when they tried to make me look geeky, but now I absolutely love it. I find it’s so much pressure to be beautiful. Hermione doesn’t care what she looks like. She’s a complete tomboy.”
Though Watson is far from a geek, she is a serious student. … She lives with her mother in Oxford, where she attends an all-girls school. “People can’t understand why I don’t want to be a full-time actress,” she says, “but school life keeps me in touch with my friends. It keeps me in touch with reality. It makes me feel normal… Learning keeps me motivated.”
[From We're all so grown-up! By Emily Listfield, Parade magazine, July 8 2007; photo by Lorenzo Agius.]
Related posts:
Where are the teen role models?
Playing stupid isn’t cute
For more on feminist thought, writers and activists, see the Feministing blog, and the book Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman’s Guide to Why Feminism Matters, by Jessica Valenti.
Related article of mine: Is Intellect an Albatross?
Related pages:
Role models
Self-esteem / self concept
