In early November, Emma Watson and Malala Yousafzai sat down and talked. That’s right, your two favorite feminist icons hung out. Talk about serious FOMO.
Emma and Malala are the definition of the perfect friendship. They get along, have similar interests, and engage in progressive and intelligent conversations that benefit everyone. And they’re incredibly influential. Just look at the video of their conversation – it has over five MILLION views. Judging by the comment section, people seem to be finally understanding that “feminism” is not a dirty word. If two successful women that you look up to can identify as feminists, you should be able to, as well.
Not to forget the diversity they both bring to the table. It’s one thing to have a friend that you get along well with. It’s another thing to be friends with someone that comes from a different background. Conversing with someone that has had a distinct experience from you leads to a broadening of your viewpoint.
Look at Emma. She’s a twenty-five-year-old actress from England who rose to prominence by starring as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series. While continuing her acting career, she graduated with a degree in English Literature from Brown University. Last year, the UN Women – a faction of the United Nations that works for gender equality – appointed Emma as a Goodwill Ambassador. From there, she organized the feminist campaign HeForShe.
Malala had a much different upbringing. Born and raised in Pakistan, she began participating in activism as a young girl. Malala wrote about living under the Taliban and the inequalities she faced as a woman. When she was fifteen, a gunman from the Taliban shot her in the head in an assassination attempt. Malala took that opportunity to bring her activism to an international level. In October, she released a documentary called He Named Me Malala.
Emma is an actress-turned-activist. Malala is an activist who is now appearing on television and in film. While they had different, and perhaps even opposite, experiences, they are joining together as arguably the greatest celebrity friendship in existence. (Sorry, Amy Schumer and Jennifer Lawrence.)
As much as I hate to admit it, my friendships don’t come close to Emma and Malala’s. When I hang out with my friends, we just usually eat and watch Netflix. Sure, we talk about social justice a lot, but not to the level that Emma and Malala did. Not only do they talk about activism, they actually work to change the injustices they see. #FriendshipGoals