Celebrities Who Changed Their Minds About Feminism
Feminism is without a doubt one of 2015's buzziest buzz words. Finally, it seems the stigma feminism is synonymous with anti-men is dissolving, and we can make room for open conversations about the movement. These seven celebrities are proof people are warming up to the idea of feminism. They all said something in opposition to the concept in the past, but now proudly declare themselves feminists. Want to know why? Because all feminism means is you think men and women deserve equal rights. And if you don't believe that, then what's wrong with you? Check out these celebrities' journeys from feminism nay to yay, and give us your thoughts on this issue in the comments.
Lady Gaga
Not-so-feminist: "I'm not a feminist. I hail men. I love men. I celebrate American male culture--beer, bars and muscle cars." - July 2009
Feminist: "I am a feminist. So many people have this misinterpretation of feminism as man-hating, which it isn't. It's got nothing to do with that." - May 2010
Taylor Swift
Not-so-feminist: "I don't really think about things as guys versus girls. I never have. I was raised by parents who brought me up to think if you work as hard as guys, you can go far in life." - 2012, when asked if she considers herself a feminist
Feminist: "Honestly, I didn't have an accurate definition of feminism when I was younger. I didn't quite see all the ways that feminism is vital to growing up in the world we live in." - 2015
Katy Perry
Not-so-feminist: "I am not a feminist, but I do believe in the power of women.” - 2012
Feminist: "A feminist? Uh, yeah, actually. I used to not really understand what that word meant, and now that I do, it just means that I love myself as a female and I also love men." - 2014, when asked if she is a feminist
Beyoncé
Not-so-feminist: "That word can be very extreme … I do believe in equality … But I'm happily married. I love my husband." – 2013, when asked if she considers herself a feminist
Feminist: "I've always considered myself a feminist, although I was always afraid of that word because people put so much on it." - 2014
Pharrell
Not-so-feminist: “I’ve been asked, am I a feminist? I don’t think it’s possible for me to be that… I’m a man. It makes sense up until a certain point. But what I do is — I do support feminists. I do think there’s injustices. There are inequalities that need to be addressed.” - May 2014
Feminist: "If I’m allowed to be [feminist]. If feminism is a synonym for equality, then, yeah, sure.” - November 2014
Susan Sarandon
Not-so-feminist: "I think of myself as a humanist because I think it's less alienating to people who think of feminism as being a load of strident bitches and because you want everyone to have equal pay, equal rights, education, and health care. It's a bit of an old-fashioned word. It's used more in a way to minimize you. My daughter who is 28 doesn't even relate to the word 'feminist' and she is definitely in control of her decisions and her body." - June 2013
Feminist: "But now that there’s a conversation about it, and men can be feminists, really all feminism means is equality. I don’t know why there was such a backlash against it for a while. It’s not anti-men, we need men and men need women — we came from a woman." - Later in 2013, clarifying her previous statement
Vanessa Hudgens
Not-so-feminist: "I used to be on the fence about it because it gets to a certain place where it almost has the reverse effect, where it's so overpowering and so aggressive that it's like rather than just standing up for female pride and female rights, it becomes, like, 'I am the man.'" - 2015
Feminist: "Now I feel like there's this new wave of feminists coming up that are truly about equal rights for women. I mean, Beyoncé is, like, killing the game, and I love her." - 2015