Emma Watson Is Called A ‘Hypocrite’ After Taking Braless Photo For Vanity Fair

Actress Emma Watson has become famous for her work in the Harry Potter movies, as well as in the upcoming live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. Away from the movies, Watson, 26, is also well known as an outspoken feminist and supporter of progressive causes, and has served as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador for several years. However, a photo spread in March’s Vanity Fair has some questioning Watson’s commitment to feminism.

In particular, critics focus on a photo where Watson is posed topless, with a white openwork shrug only partly covering her breasts. Some, such as British columnist and broadcaster Julia Hartley-Brewer, question how Watson can expect to be taken seriously on feminism and social issues when she allows herself to be photographed in a way that emphasizes her sexuality. Others call her a hypocrite: feminists criticize the exploitation of women’s bodies, but in the photograph Watson is clearly using her body to draw attention.

However, others on social media and elsewhere have jumped to Watson’s defense. They argue that feminism means women should feel free to do what they want with their bodies, whether that be showing them off or covering them up. The charge of hypocrisy, they say, is based on a false understanding of feminism that caricatures feminists as repressive and sex-hating.

Watson has hit back at the critics, saying that “They were saying that I couldn’t be a feminist and have boobs” and that “Feminism is not a stick with which to beat other women. It’s about freedom. It’s about liberation. It’s about equality.”

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