We all know Emma Watson for her acting abilities in roles such as Hermoine from The Harry Potter series and Sam from Perks of Being a Wallflower. However, recently Emma has been championing a new role as a social leader for the HeforShe campaign, whose goal is to unite the sexes in the fight for equality.

From its beginning, the Woman’s Rights movement has been led by women for women. Dating back all the way to the Seneca Falls Convention, feminism has always been a woman’s struggle. Mary Lou Retton, Alice Stone Blackwell, Susan B. Anthony, and countless others have paved the path that has not only  granted women suffrage, but has allowed for more gains in a fight towards equality. However, as the modern world continues to progress, women alone can no longer be responsible for the fight.

One of the major misconceptions of feminism is that it is for women alone. However, feminism is not, nor has it ever been about female dominance; it is about equality regardless of gender. In reality, when society creates strict gender roles and stereotypes, both men and women suffer the consequences. When stereotypes claim that women are too docile and fragile,  it implies and sets the standard that men always need to be strong and cannot show sensitivity. When a man is told he must be domineering, it forces women into a submissive role. When a system is created based on these unfair values and ideals, everyone involved is hurting.

The HeforShe campaign is a revolutionary and necessary approach to feminism, because it brings media attention not only to the injustice that plagues women, but also the negative effects on men. The main goal and focus of this campaign is freedom. Freedom from unfair gender roles; freedom from oppression based on gender; freedom from someone else telling you how you are supposed to act. On the subject of this freedom, Emma Watson claims, “When we stop defining ourselves by what we are not, and start defining ourselves by who we are, we can all start being a little freer.”