Emma Watson, the young actress who played Hermione in the Harry Potter films, speaks out against some of the pressures young women face:
I find this whole thing about being 18 and everyone expecting me to be this object..I find the whole concept of being ‘sexy’ embarrassing and confusing.
If I do a photo-shoot people desperately want to change me—-dye my hair blonder, pluck my eyebrows, give me a fringe.
Then there’s the choice of clothes. I know everyone wants a picture of me in a mini-skirt. But that’s not me. I feel uncomfortable. I’d never go out in a mini-skirt. It’s nothing to do with protecting the Hermione image. I wouldn’t do that.
Personally, I don’t actually think it’s even that sexy. What’s sexy about saying, ‘I’m here with my boobs out and a short skirt . . . have a look at everything I’ve got’? My idea of sexy is that less is more. The less you reveal the more people can wonder.
More here . Industry pressures will make this difficult, no doubt, but maybe Watson will have luck. If I were a parent with a young daughter, I certainly would hope that our popular culture could make room for celebrities who want to embody a modest, elegant femininity.
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