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Emma Watson Calls on Women to Vote (While Admitting that Elections are Excruciating)

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Emma WatsonEmma Watson cannot vote on November 8th, but that did not stop her from encouraging women in the U.S. to vote.

Watson, a British actress, has been a longstanding feminist and the United Nations Women Goodwill Ambassador, used Twitter to share her inspirational message. She encouraged women eligible to vote in the United States to participate in this year’s upcoming election and cast their vote, reports Fox News.

Watson made it clear that she wished she could cast a vote for Hillary Clinton and explained why women throughout the country should vote, reports E Online.

Her essay posted on Twitter emphasized how frustrating it was for her to sit on the sidelines when she wanted to participate in the election, says UPI. She emphasized how there will be a ripple effect based on the outcome of the election, and it will impact the rest of the world. As her “second home,” Watson wants women out there to know that they do and can make a different in this election.

She went on to discuss how the next president would make decisions for women in the United States, determining everything from how they are treated to their success in this world. Even more, she told her fans how women have a significant impact on presidential elections and could swing the vote in favor of one candidate.

70 Million Women to 60 Million Men

In her essay, Watson highlighted how 70 million women voted in the last presidential election, compared to only 60 million men, says Fox News. In her words, women have “real power” to decide what future generations of women endure.

Her essay on Twitter is not the first instance where she has spoken publicly about gender equality, says Fox News. During the UN Women’s HeForShe initiative in 2015, Watson named Hillary Clinton for support.

During a speech at the college campus for the United Nations, Watson gave a speech on sexual assault, says E Online. In her Twitter post, she further addressed those issues and made references to Donald Trump’s alleged sexual assaults on women he interacts with. While she did not name Trump explicitly, her Tweet focused on how men should act and treat women, which defines their character, says UPI.

James Franco referenced Watson during his comparison of Watson’s Harry Potter Character to Hillary Clinton on social media, says UPI. In his words, Clinton’s secret service name is “Hermione,” because she is a wizard.

Watson makes it clear that she feels women should be treated equally. In her words, women are integral components of their home, society, government, and workplace.

Emma Watson also believes that the world’s successes are held back because women are not treated fairly, reports Fox News.

For now, Watson must remain on the sidelines watching the election pan out. She certainly hopes that her message on Twitter, as well as her stand on equality over time, makes an impact on female voters out there.

First Woman To Climb Mount Everest Dies at 77

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Junko Tabei, first woman to climb Mount Everest

Von Jaan Künnap – Jaan Künnap, CC-BY-SA 4.0, Link

In 1975, only 22 years after Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzig Norgay became the first men in the world to scale Mount Everest, Junko Tabei of Fukushima, Japan, became the first woman in the world to accomplish that feat.

Since then she had devoted her life to scaling the highest peaks on all seven continents. Tragically, she succumbed to cancer this month at the age of 77, but her life is a testament to the spirit of exploration and daring that she brought with her in both life and her travels.

Humble Beginnings and Giant Strides

Tabei was born in a small farming town in Fukushima prefecture in 1939, and had begun climbing mountains as early as the age of nine: her first conquest was the nearby Mount Nasu on a school trip. She later married and began working, but was still fascinated with climbing mountains.

She established an all-woman hiking club in 1969 and set off to not only test her limits, but to defy the culture of the time that women belonged in the house. In May of 1975, at the age of 35, she accomplished just that, despite being swept away by an avalanche just 12 days before.

Everest was just the beginning. From there she began a career of pushing the limit and scaling mountains in over 70 countries. By 1992 she had conquered the Seven Summits-the highest mountains in all seven continents-and even then she had continued to climb.

Tabei had been diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2012, which along with her age marked an end to her illustrious life. Her final climb was Mount Fuji in 2011, shortly after the Fukuyama tsunami and nuclear reactor disaster. Accompanying her on this journey were high school students from the area who had been affected by the disaster, in an effort to raise their spirits both literally and figuratively.

More Than Mountains Conquered

Tabei’s climbing career spanned four decades and almost all 190 countries, including Oman, Belgium, Tanzania, and her native Japan. But it wasn’t just a love of heights and nature that compelled her to climb as she did. Women around the world had begun to enjoy equal rights as men, but in many cultures women still held subservient roles.

Even in Japan during the 1970s, employed women with respectable jobs were expected to do menial tasks such as serving tea in the office, as well as filling the role of housewife and nothing more. Even her husband who supported her had his doubts when she first set off for Mt. Everest, but along with Japan and the rest of the world his doubts were soon laid to rest.

Tabei maintained a lifelong connection with Mt. Everest, studying it in university and even centering her master’s thesis on how littering and constant use were making it more and more difficult to visit with each year. “It [Everest] needs a rest now,” she said at the 50th anniversary of Hillary and Norgay’s ascent.

Protestors Outraged At Wonder Woman’s Appointment As Honorary UN Ambassador

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Honorary UN Ambassador Wonder Woman

Photo Credit: Yo Mostro via Flickr

The UN has a history of choosing fictional characters as honorary ambassadors to represent them, and up until now it has been a mostly successful tactic to raise awareness. The beloved character Winnie the Pooh was dubbed a UN Ambassador on the International Day of Friendship, and Tinker Bell was named the honorary ambassador of green. Even a character from Angry Birds was named an ambassador for the International Day of Happiness.

None of these previous choices met with much in the way of opposition, but the UN’s most recent fictional ambassador choice had over a thousand people on the UN’s own staff protesting in outrage. In honor of the fight for gender equality, as well as acknowledgement of her 75th anniversary of existence, the fictional character Wonder Woman was named the UN’s honorary ambassador for the empowerment of women and girls.

In an effort to overturn this decision, over 1,100 concerned UN staff members signed a petition that asked the UN secretary general to reevaluate this decision. While they don’t have a particular hatred for Wonder Woman herself, they do take issue with the fact that the UN chose a fictional character as an ambassador, rather than a real live woman who can set a realistic example for women and girls around the world. They also don’t find the character to be appropriate in today’s day and age.

When the petition was unsuccessful at overturning the decision, the displeased UN staffers decided to stage a protest during the ceremony. It was a silent protest that didn’t truly disrupt the event, however it did gain attention for the dissenting opinion and draw more notice to the overall discontent with the UN’s ambassadorial choice. The protestors came into the chamber at the beginning and proceeded to stand with their backs turned to the event and their fists raised in the air. About halfway through the ceremony, the protestors walked out of the room.

While many of the protestors can say they appreciate Wonder Woman for the symbol that she provided in her time, they still find her to be a symbol that is altogether too sexualized and culturally insensitive. She is a white woman adorned in apparel that closely mirrors the American flag, and she is scantily clad and unrealistically proportioned. They would have preferred a real person who could stand as an example that would resonate around the world, and not just with the limited audience that they feel Wonder Woman can reach.

Not everyone disapproves of the UN’s choice, and in fact some are defending it. The ceremony was attended by actors who have portrayed Wonder Woman on screen, including Lynda Carter. She supported the decision and said that the protestors were “just being silly.” Regardless of support or condemnation, as of Friday the 21st of October 2016 Wonder Woman officially became an honorary ambassador for the UN. How effectively the character will fulfill that role remains to be seen.

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