Emma Watson's UN speech

Today I have decided to talk to you about Emma Watson’s speech that she gave on the 20th of September 2014 at the United Nations in New-York. Recently appointed UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, the British actress made this speech within the framework of the launch of the HeForShe campaign, which aim is to raise people’s awareness about gender inequalities. In particular, Emma Watson targeted her speech towards men. Through her ten-minute speech, she formally invites boys and men to join the fight against gender inequalities and tells them that this issue concerns them too. This particular point is what the HeForShe campaign is all about. How are we supposed to change things concerning gender differences if only half of the world feels welcome in the conversation?  

Emma Watson begins her speech by reminding her audience of the exact definition of the word “feminism”, which is the belief that men and women should have the same rights and opportunities. She also highlights the fact that the term “feminism” has become very unpopular today, and that many people are reluctant to call themselves “feminist” because of that. However, it is the idea behind the word that matters, not the word in itself. 

In my opinion, Emma Watson is a very talented speaker. Although we can feel her stress – and who can blame her, one does not deliver a speech at the UN every day – she addresses her audience in a very articulate and modest way. Her speech was written in a very smart way: she begins her talk by saying “I am reaching out to you because we need your help”. By using this expression, Watson makes the listener feel that he is included in what she is talking about and catches her audience’s attention. Moreover, her body language is very good too. Through her 10 minutes of speech, she manages to create eye contact with the whole audience, making every member of the assembly involved in her campaign.

Her speech contains several catch phrases, such as “If not me, who? If not now, when?”, that are excellent to seize and keep her audience’s attention. In my opinion, one of the strongest moments of her speech is when she repeats the sentence “I think it is right” four times ("Why has the word become such an uncomfortable one? I am from Britain, and I think it is right I am paid the same as my male counterparts. I think it is right that I should be able to make decisions about my own body. I think it is right that women be involved on my behalf in the policies and decisions that will affect my life. I think it is right that socially, I am afforded the same respect as men."). The audience applauses her for the first time right after this paragraph; this is the proof that her catch sentences worked.

Contrastive pairs can also be found in her speech, such as: “If men don’t have to be aggressive in order to be accepted, women won’t feel compelled to be submissive. If men don't have to control, women won't have to be controlled".

In her speech, Emma Watson is definitely not criticizing men. On the contrary, she is officially inviting them to join the fight against gender inequalities.

Here is a link to the whole speech transcript. 

Sources:
http://www.heforshe.org/  
http://sociology.about.com/od/Current-Events-in-Sociological-Context/fl/Full-Transcript-of-Emma-Watsons-Speech-on-Gender-Equality-at-the-UN.htm
http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2014/oct/03/emma-watsons-un-gender-equality-campaign-is-an-invitation-to-men-too