Actress and UN Ambassador Emma Watson sat with author and social activist bell hooks to talk about everything from feminism, literacy, to self-love. This conversation speaks a lot to the benefits of social media and the way technology is bridging the cultural divides between the worlds of academia and entertainment, and the effects it has on our daily lives. Because of platforms like Twitter or Goodreads, people well-versed in different ideologies and philosophies have a direct line of access with people living these experiences and, in a way, offer the tools necessary to become fully aware of the context of our circumstances. It’s basically like homeschooling and you can choose your teachers daily, and this conversation between bell hooks and Emma Watson is a shining example as to how and why.
Feminism is fun! New comrades @EmWatson @bellhooks @bellhooksinst #EmmaWatson #bellhooks pic.twitter.com/mraejdiX5M
— bellhooksinstitute (@bellhooksinst) December 2, 2015
In their conversation, they covered everything from their respective work, feminism in their daily lives, and ultimately how educating yourself is paramount to empowering yourself.
hooks: I was thinking that the two things that I think are so vital for women globally are self-love and literacy. Growing up in a fundamentalist Christian home with very narrow beliefs about gender — initially, my eyes were opened by reading.
Watson: Those would be my exact two as well. My understanding that has allowed me to feel so much more accepting and loving of myself as a woman — it came through reading.
hooks: Often people in the West forget that masses — millions and millions of women and girls in the world — don’t have access to education and are not taught to read and write.
Watson: That’s right.
hooks: And for me, reading and studying is one of my deepest passions in life. It’s like breathing. That’s what I’d like to share. I felt from the moment I met you — in terms of how a girl crush forms, it’s one of the ways our spirits resonate — that we think and dream about similar passions, and that’s exciting.
