For a short 15 seconds towards the end of her interview with British Vogue, Emma Watson said,

I never believed the whole Im happy single spiel. It took me a long time. But Im very happy; I call it being self-partnered.

For the remainder of the video, she spoke about a variety of things and experiences shes had throughout her life:

Seeking Gloria Steinem's advice about feminist activism and relearning history from a different perspective, talking about how fame affected her as a child when she played Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter movie series and feeling guilty for being unhappy, and so much more.

Despite Emma diving deep into some of the most pressing issues, people across social media seem to be hooked on to the part of the interview where she spoke about not having a boyfriend or husband, and being self-partnered.

Adding to the hullabaloo, the interview too is conveniently titled Emma Watson Talks Turning 30, Working With Meryl Streep, And Being Happily Single.

It wouldnt be a shocker, since theres no dearth of headlines that focus only on their dating lives, choice of clothing, and whether or not they look camera-ready.

Its time we realise that public figures, especially women, are real, human, and can make meaningful contributions to the world.

Here are some eye-opening segments of Emma Watsons recent interview that deserve more recognition.

When Emma was appointed as the UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, she felt unworthy and not informed-enough. While she could have brushed it off and started tooting her own horn, she wanted to learn more about it.

"I did this speech for the UN - for this campaign that we launched, called #HeForShe, and I had a massive case of the imposter syndrome and it hit hard," she recalls.

Realising she needed to learn the ropes from people with more experience with feminist activism, Emma decided to approach Gloria Steinem, an icon who rose to public recognition when she became a spokeswoman for the American feminist movement in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Emma hosting an interview with Gloria in 2016

Continuing the conversation about feminism, she speaks about receiving criticism about white feminism, which is the form of the movement where white women address only the things that affect them, and disregard other kinds of oppression women around the world go through.

The journey towards introspection, according to Emma, began when she started going to university in the United States.

To sit in another country and hear your history told differently to how you have been taught it at home - it was the first time I had a first-hand experience of realising that history is genuinely told from the perspective of whom its told by, she says.

She goes on to talk about the book Why Im No Longer Talking To White People About Race by author and journalist Reni Eddo-Lodge, from which the biggest lesson she took home was, the desperate need to reform our education system in the UK and the way we tell the story of how we have been involved in foreign affairs, in our relationship to slavery - which we never talk about, and its not okay.

Having previously considered herself very well-read, with a prestigious university degree, learning about different perspectives pushed her towards a course of correction and critical analysis. She says,

Many celebrities often have successful careers even if they don't care to speak up about pressing issues, or aren't well-informed.

But Emma, as host Paris Lees says, devotes so much time and energy, and strives to make a difference.

On why she goes the extra mile to actively participate in the discourse about things like feminism and LGBTQ+ rights, Emma says,

She feels that being an optimist at heart is essential to being an activist, and that being around other artists, creating space, and bringing people together has helped her greatly, over the past six months.

Emma Watson has been in the limelight ever since her debut as Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. From the age of nine, all the way up to nearly 30, she has been in the film industry, among paparazzi and fans, with very less time to herself.

Emma in 2002, at the premiere of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

This much public exposure from such a young age is bound to have taken a toll. On the pressure she has felt, and how she overcomes it, she says,

There have been moments when everything got so big, I felt disconnected. And part of my sense of peace within myself has been in remembering my identity as someones daughter, a sister, belonging to a family, having roots.

Paris Lees, the host of the interview, is a trans woman, who shared the anxieties she faces and has faced throughout her life because of her identity. Empathising with her, Emma talks about a six-year-old trans child that she knows and cares about, and how shes so afraid about what they might go through, and just wanting basic rights for them.

On being asked about what she would say to people being uncomfortable sharing a bathroom with a trans person, Emma says,

You might not have experienced this in this specific way, but you will have experienced it in your life in some way, and you will know how thatll make you feel. Do you want to perpetuate that, and make somebody else feel that horrible feeling of someone telling you that youre not welcome, you dont belong, youre not included, we dont want you here? she adds.

Emma recalls watching the older Little Women movies as a child, and feels that the author of the book, Louisa May Alcott, put a little bit of herself into all of the sisters. She says this was a clever way and good literary device to explain that theres not just one way to be a feminist.

Speaking about the character that she plays in the upcoming Little Women movie - Meg March - she says,

She also talks about working with actors Meryl Streep and Laura Dern, whom she had already met before coming together for the movie. The three of them met in activist spaces, and had an added sense of solidarity of being actors who take part in activism.

In 2015, when Emma was interviewing Malala Yousafzai, she was told by Malala that one of the reasons she wanted to identify with feminism, was because of her speech at the UN. Speaking about this interaction, Emma simply says,

Emma also mentions meeting a young girl from India who lives in an ashram, and follows the actor on Instagram.

She was like, Every time I see you doing what youre doing, I just want you to know that theres a girl in an ashram in India whos rooting for you. I have moments where I just want to delete my Instagram account, but then I think about her, and Im like, No, thats meaningful.

So, there we have it. Emma Watson may be self-partnered, shes so much more, too.

(Edited by Rekha Balakrishnan)

Read the original post:

Emma Watsons interview was more than self-partnership. Heres the whole story - YourStory