The actress speaks out about the backlash that greeted her ‘HeForShe’ speech at the UN.
As the face of gender equality campaign ‘HeForShe’, Emma has taken a very public stand for feminism.
Her passionate speech at the launch of the campaign last year won her many fans – but unfortunately, the reaction wasn’t all positive.
In a live Facebook chat celebrating HeForShe and International Women’s Day, Emma opened up about the threats she faced after delivering that speech.
“There was a website set up that was threatening to release naked images of me, with like a countdown and whatever else,” Emma said.
While she knew those pictures didn’t exist, the reaction to her speech shocked many people close to her, who didn’t think the issue of gender equality was “that urgent”.
“I mean within less than 12 hours I was receiving threats,” she revealed.
“I think they were really shocked and one of my brothers in particular was very upset.”
Ultimately, Emma credits her mum – who raised her alone while also battling Type 1 diabetes – for inspiring her.
“I think she instilled in me – particularly in my teenage years when I was feeling insecure and confused about what my purpose was – she really instilled in me that what I was thinking and what I was doing and what I was saying were ultimately infinitely more important than my physical appearance.”
