When you put Emma Watson and Gloria Steinem in a room together, great things are bound to happen. The two feminist icons got candid about body image, feminism and Hermione Granger on Wednesday night in London, at an event hosted by the How To Academy.
"I feel as though I spent a long time trying to pretend I was not like Hermione. And, of course, I was rather like Hermione," Watson said, speaking about her struggle to separate herself from the character she played in the Harry Potter movies.
She also opened up about the body insecurities she had growing up.
"I used to hate that I had strong eyebrows. As a nine-year-old I desperately wanted to pluck them and make them two thin lines," she said to Steinem.
Watson noted that she was "disturbed" by how deep body issues often run.
"I was disturbed by how long a conversation I could have with any woman about what she didn't like about herself," she said. Steinem agreed.
"Our bodies are instruments not ornaments," said Steinem. "We should celebrate our different shapes and sizes, our caesarean scars and all the other beautiful imperfections that make us who we are. I hope every woman in this room goes home tonight, looks in the mirror and says, "Yes, this is fan-fucking-tastic!'"
The two women also discussed the differences between pornography and erotica, the global political impact of violence against women, and, naturally, Donald Trump.
"People think that because he has a lot of money, he's smart," Steinem said. "Donald Trump is not a successful businessman, he's a successful conman."
Watson recently announced that she would be taking a year off acting to study feminism and activism, and to learn more about herself. She first became known for her efforts to promote gender equality when she gave a speech on the topic to the United Nations in 2014.
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