The Beauty and the Beast actor said those who attack photo that shows parts of her breasts do not understand that ‘feminism is about giving women choice’

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

The actor Emma Watson has hit back at critics who say she has betrayed her feminist ideals by posing for a revealing picture in Vanity Fair magazine, in which parts of her breasts were exposed.

Emma Watson: the feminist and the fairytale Read more

The Harry Potter co-star and pioneer of the HeForShe campaign to make men advocate for feminism talked about the photo shoot while promoting her latest film, the Disney live-action picture Beauty and the Beast.

“It just always reveals to me how many misconceptions and what a misunderstanding there is about what feminism is,” she said.

“Feminism is about giving women choice. Feminism is not a stick with which to beat other women with. It’s about freedom, it’s about liberation, it’s about equality. I really don’t know what my tits have to do with it. It’s very confusing.

“I’m confused. Most people are confused. No, I’m just always just quietly stunned.”

Maturing from Hermione to Belle in @beautyandthebeast is a true coming-of-age story for @EmmaWatson: "I couldn't care less if I won an Oscar or not if the movie didn’t say something that I felt was important for people to hear." Read the full cover story at the link in bio. Photograph by Tim Walker. A post shared by Vanity Fair (@vanityfair) on Feb 28, 2017 at 10:02am PST

The photo shoot, by the acclaimed fashion photographer Tim Walker, showed Watson in an open, white crocheted bolero jacket with no bra or shirt underneath.

“We’d been doing so many crazy things on that shoot,” Watson said, “but it felt incredibly artistic and I’ve been so creatively involved and engaged with Tim and I’m so thrilled about how interesting and beautiful the photographs were.”

The actress was being interviewed by the BBC alongside Dan Stevens, her co-star in Beauty And The Beast.

When he asked what she was discussing, the actress explained: “They were saying that I couldn’t be a feminist and ... and have boobs.”