Emma Watson Concedes Women 'Are Choosing Not to Identify as Feminists'

While launching the “HeForShe” campaign at the United Nations, starlet Emma Watson conceded on Monday that women may just not want to be called feminists.

“Women are choosing not to identify as feminists,” she said. “Apparently, I am among the ranks of women whose expressions are seen as too strong, ‘too aggressive,’ isolating and anti-men, unattractive, even. Why has the word become such an uncomfortable one?”

In America, 75% of those surveyed in a YouGov/Economist poll in July of 2014 did not consider themselves to be feminists, while only 25% did. The poll also found that 65% of females and 85% of males do not consider themselves feminists. A majority of males and females, though, believed that females should have equal opportunities and rights to males. 

In addition, nearly twice as many Americans think “feminist” is an insult rather than a compliment–26% consider “feminist” to be insulting, while only 14% think it is a compliment. Stars and frenemies like Katy Perry and Taylor Swift have even run away from the label, while some like Beyonce–while gyrating on national television during a recent VMA performance–have embraced it.

As one female analyst noted, “What with man-bashing and the erosion of the traditional masculine and feminine roles or family structure, Americans also apparently associate feminism with things other than, say, equal rights — and it is problematic.”