Emma Watson has struck back against online trolls dubbing her "anti-feminist" for appearing semi-topless in a new Vanity Fair spread.
As the star of the upcoming live action Beauty and the Beast remake, Watson posed as "the Rebel Belle" in the magazine's latest issue, and the resulting photos (sadly unsurprisingly) garnered plenty of negative attention from men and women alike.
UK paper The Sun reprinted the cover with the headline "Beauty and the Breasts," which was re-shared by many claiming Watson couldn't possibly be feminist and wear a crop top at the same time.
Watson has now responded to the controversy, calling out her fellow female critics.
"Feminism is about giving women choice," an exasperated Watson said in a video interview with the BBC. "Feminism is not a stick with which to beat other women with. It's about freedom. It's about liberation. It's about equality."
She added, "I really don't know what my tits have to do with it. It's very confusing."
Watch the interview clip below. Beyond that, see some behind the scenes footage from the Vanity Fair photoshoot in question.
As the star of the upcoming live action Beauty and the Beast remake, Watson posed as "the Rebel Belle" in the magazine's latest issue, and the resulting photos (sadly unsurprisingly) garnered plenty of negative attention from men and women alike.
UK paper The Sun reprinted the cover with the headline "Beauty and the Breasts," which was re-shared by many claiming Watson couldn't possibly be feminist and wear a crop top at the same time.
Emma Watson: "Feminism, feminism... gender wage gap... why oh why am I not taken seriously... feminism... oh, and here are my tits!" pic.twitter.com/gb7OvxzRH9
— Julia Hartley-Brewer (@JuliaHB1) March 1, 2017
Watson has now responded to the controversy, calling out her fellow female critics.
"Feminism is about giving women choice," an exasperated Watson said in a video interview with the BBC. "Feminism is not a stick with which to beat other women with. It's about freedom. It's about liberation. It's about equality."
She added, "I really don't know what my tits have to do with it. It's very confusing."
Watch the interview clip below. Beyond that, see some behind the scenes footage from the Vanity Fair photoshoot in question.
.@EmmaWatson on the controversy over her almost topless @VanityFair cover shoot. https://t.co/9kNDAV90w6 pic.twitter.com/Bc2b5JuVHE
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) March 5, 2017
Go behind the scenes of Tim Walker's Vanity Fair cover shoot with @EmmaWatson. pic.twitter.com/d2TnNXYVTo
— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) March 1, 2017