In the past few years, the stigma that surrounds the word “feminist” has begun to dissipate thanks to high-profile stars such as Beyonce and Emma Watson speaking out about equal rights for women. We put a list of nine celebrities and models who reclaimed the word during the past year. Read feminist quotes from stars like Cara Delevingne, Miley Cyrus and more below.
BEYONCE
“There is a double standard when it comes to sexuality that still persists. Men are free and women are not. That is crazy. The old lessons of submissiveness and fragility made us victims. Women are so much more than that. You can be a businesswoman, a mother, an artist, and a feminist – whatever you want to be – and still be a sexual being. It’s not mutually exclusive.” – Out Magazine interview
EMILY RATAJKOWSKI
“[I feel] lucky to wear what I want, sleep with who I want, and dance how I want.” – Cosmopolitan November 2014 interview.
EMMA WATSON
Feminism is not here to dictate to you. It’s not prescriptive, it’s not dogmatic,” she tells the magazine. “All we are here to do is give you a choice. If you want to run for President, you can. If you don’t, that’s wonderful, too.” – Elle UK interview
JENNIE RUNK
“For a long time, it was a struggle for me to be in the industry that gets blamed so much for keeping feminism at a stand-still. Then I realized I can use my notoriety to promote healthy body image and inspire young girls to reach for their full potential. If not for my career, I would never have gotten the opportunity to speak out and be heard the way I can now.” – Fashion Gone Rogue interview
ANJA RUBIK
“I consider modeling to be a feminist job. It’s an incredible job; it’s one of the ones where women get paid more than men. If you’re good at your job, you get to be very creative and it opens very many doors, like I did with my magazine, 25, and perfumes. You get quite a bit of a following and an impact on young women and girls. You can do something very positive with that.” – The Cut interview
MILEY CYRUS
“I’m just about equality, period. It’s not like, I’m a woman, women should be in charge! I just want there to be equality for everybody…I still don’t think we’re there 100 percent. I mean, guy rappers grab their crotch all fucking day and have hos around them, but no one talks about it. But if I grab my crotch and I have hot model bitches around me, I’m degrading women?” – Elle interview
CARA DELEVINGNE
“I speak up and say ‘Girls don’t do that,’ or ‘That’s not something a girl would say in that situation,’” Delevingne says about acting. “Instead, it’s about how men perceive women and it’s not accurate, and it annoys me! I don’t think people speak up enough. It’s important that when girls watch movies they’ve got strong female role models.” – Time Out London Interview
KEIRA KNIGHTLEY
“I think it’s great that the discussions are finally being allowed to be had [about feminism], as opposed to anybody mentioning feminism and everybody going, ‘Oh, f***ing shut up,’” says Keira. “Somehow, it [feminism] became a dirty word. I thought it was really weird for a long time, and I think it’s great that we’re coming out of that.” – Harper’s Bazaar UK interview
ROSIE HUNTINGTON-WHITELEY
“I’ve been lucky in my career. Modeling is kind of a female’s world, and I feel very lucky for that. I never felt too many limitations in that industry, but it’s certainly something you think about more and more and it’s certainly something we’re seeing more and more in the media. For me, I would totally, comfortably call myself a feminist. I believe in equal rights and for women to do what they want to do.” – Huffington Post Interview
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