Seth Chow

Katie Aaker

HL IB English Year 2

8 May 2023

Emma Watson “He for She” Speech Analysis

Emma Watson’s “HeForShe” speech offers a call to action against the issue of

gender-inequality throughout the world as she presents to the UN during a special event for the

HeForShe campaign. As the UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, Watson both brings attention to

gender inequality, and presents a call to action to help end gender inequality through her

employment of anecdotes, anaphora and metaphor.

Towards the beginning of her speech, Watson utilizes anecdotal evidence to offer her

personal experiences and viewpoint on the issue of gender inequality. Watson explains how

“[she] started questioning gender-based assumptions when at eight [she] was confused at being

called ‘bossy’, because [she] wanted to direct the plays [they] would put on for [their] parents-

but the boys were not.” (Watson). Watson’s personal experience of herself being called “bossy”

at the age of eight places emphasis on her message of how girls are given different

expectations than boys in society. Watson paints this idea as “confusing”, given that something

as normal as directing plays could be seen as obscure to another individual due to the social

expectations placed upon girls rather than boys. By giving her personal experience of

questioning this situation, Watson provides the audience with a valid piece of evidence pointing

towards a divide in gender norms within the global society, provided that Watson is a

well-traveled individual with a global position. Watson furthers her background as a woman,

taking the narrative into a different perspective as she explains how “[she’s] seen young men

suffering from mental illness unable to ask for help for fear it would make them look less ‘macho’

… [she’s] seen men made fragile and insecure by a distorted sense of what constitutes male

success. Men don’t have the benefits of equality either.” (Watson). Watson’s reference to her
Seth Chow

Katie Aaker

HL IB English Year 2

8 May 2023

perception of male inequality in gender expectations brings to light the depth of the social issues

experienced by men. Watson, as a woman, knows of these issues that are pressed onto men,

even while she cannot experience them herself; while Watson cannot personally experience

what struggles men go through, her knowledge of men suffering from mental illness and their

pressure to conform to a “macho” ideal expresses that the issue is so widespread and chronic,

that even a person who does not share the same gender that experiences these conditions

notices the issues that are presented from societal norms over gender expectations.

In addition to Watson’s employment of anecdotal evidence to bring attention to the

issues of gender inequalities, she utilizes anaphora to further her emphasis on the issue of

gender inequalities in society. As Watson describes how she experienced gender inequalities

when she was growing up, she points out specific experiences at varying stages of her life,

presenting how, “when at 14 I started being sexualized by certain elements of the press.

When at 15 my girlfriends started dropping out of their sports teams because they didn’t want to

appear ‘muscly.’ When at 18 my male friends were unable to express their feelings.” (Watson).

Watson’s repetition of “when at” at each start of her sentences emphasizes the numerous times

that she has been a victim of gender inequality, motioning towards how this issue is not only a

single-occurrence type of event, but is rather prevalent throughout one’s lifetime. In doing so,

Watson both brings light to the social issues of gender-inequality, and implies that something

must be done to limit this social issue’s occurrence in one’s lifetime. Watson’s further usage of

anaphora is found when she expresses how “both men and women should feel free to be

sensitive. Both men and women should feel free to be strong.” (Watson). Watson emphasizes

the start of these two sentences through the repetition of “both men and women”, which corrects

how the struggle for gender equality should not be divided, but a united front of both genders to
Seth Chow

Katie Aaker

HL IB English Year 2

8 May 2023

end an issue that affects each group. In doing so, Watson offers an idea of unity and teamwork

to her audience, which provides a sense of strength through this shared struggle, and ultimately

strengthens her call to end gender equality throughout the year.

Furthermore, Watson utilizes metaphor to explain the social struggle of gender inequality

and how crucial it is for the world to come to a consensus and end the issue globally. Towards

the beginning of her speech, Watson explains that “this is the first campaign of its kind at the

UN: we want to try and galvanize as many men and boys as possible to be advocates for

gender equality.”(Watson). Watson expresses how society needs to “galvanize” males to help

make this campaign a success, where the term is defined as: to shock or excite (someone) into

taking action. While the term achieves its goal in expressing how men and boys must take

action alongside women for this campaign, the connotation associated with the term’s

subsequent definition offers a deeper meaning. “To galvanize” is also defined as coating a steel

object with a protective zinc layer, and thus offers a sense of increased defense for men and

boys in order to go about this campaign. From this, Watson effectively emphasizes that both

men and women should be supported by one another in order to achieve the goals of the

HeForShe campaign, and must be united to help each other go about ending gender

inequalities throughout the world.

As found from the evidence stated above, throughout her “HeForShe” speech, Emma

Watson utilizes anecdotal evidence, anaphora and metaphor to bring light to the social issues of

gender inequality, and implements a call to action to end this divide in gender norms within the

global society.
Seth Chow

Katie Aaker

HL IB English Year 2

8 May 2023