Malala has a documentary based on her life story coming out soon and it's called He Called Me Malala. While promoting the movie, she sat down for an interview with U.N. Ambassador and actress, Emma Watson.
You don't need to say Malala's last name to know who she is. She's on that level of recognition with public figures like Beyonce, Madonna, and Cher. Although she's not a pop star, Malala's a Nobel Peace Prize winning teenager. Remember, she's only 18. Back in October, the Internet couldn't believe that she wouldn't use the "F word."
Today, headlines popped up claiming that Malala finally called herself a feminist and it was all because of Emma Watson. She credited Watson's now famous U.N. speech from last year on gender equality and the #HeForShe campaign as the moment she realized she's a feminist. But isn't it fair to say that Malala was already a feminist, even if she didn't identify as a feminist? Do you have to use the word "feminist" to be a feminist?
Here's what Malala said:
“It has been a tricky word. 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 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.”
No one disagrees with the fact that Malala's brave actions at the age of 14 — standing up to the Taliban for the right to education for young women, and then getting shot in the face for her bold actions — are feminist. So, if anything, the Internet should issue a small correction. It's like Malala said, "Feminism is another word for equality." It was just through her friend, Emma Watson, she realized her actions are feminist, but it's not that she wasn't already a feminist.
Watch the video between the two below:
