She stood up for equal access to education for girls and boys despite multiple death threats.
She nearly died at the hands of the Taliban for speaking out and went on to become the youngest ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.
But Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai admits she didn’t become a feminist until she heard Emma Watson speak to the UN on gender equality as part of the He for She campaign.
Malala says the British actress’s speech, calling for men to join women in the fight for equal rights, marked her moment of conversion.
She made the surprising revelation in a video interview with Emma, saying that in the past feminism “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? And then after hearing your speech, when you said ‘if not now, when? If not me, who?’ I decided that there’s no way and there’s nothing wrong by calling yourself a feminist, so I am a feminist. And feminism is another word for equality.”
Emma and Malala were in conversation following a screening of the upcoming documentary, He Named Me Malala.
Words by: Maria Hoyle
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