Kristen Stewart Spits Feminist Wisdom

I have always loved Kristen Stewart, because in a business of glitz, glamour, and general shallowness, she never pretends to be something she is not. She was thrust into the world of the ultra famous when she was cast as Bella Swan in the Twilight series, and many perceived her indifference and distaste for fame as being ungrateful and simply, bitchy. Post-Twilight, Stewart has been able to break free from prior expectations of how a rising female star "should act," and has paved a path of her own, Converse sneakers and all, while remaining a strong positive role model for young women. Recently, Kristen Stewart's cover issue of Wonderland magazine was released, and in her interview, she had some interesting things to say about feminism.

After filming Still Alice and Clouds of Sils Maria, Stewart has been keen on taking a small hiatus from acting to focus on her other artistic passions, but that doesn't mean that she doesn't still have some strong opinions about women and the perception of women the industry.

As she told Wonderland,

It’s silly to play the devil’s advocate when having a conversation about female roles in Hollywood, because then you’re doing this "reverse feminism" thing that has become weirdly trendy recently. I feel like some girls around my age are less inclined to say, "Of course I’m a feminist, and of course I believe in equal rights for men and women," because there are implications that go along with the word feminist that they feel are too in-your-face or aggressive... A lot of girls nowadays are like, "Eww, I’m not like that." They don’t get that there’s no one particular way you have to be in order to stand for all of the things feminism stands for.

This isn't even a trend limited to Hollywood. I personally have had to hash it out with my own friends and family about this very fact, that being a feminist does not mean that I hate men and am planning my local bra-burning event (but hey, no judgement if you do!). It is great to see a young woman in a high-profile position speak loudly about these facts and unveil the truth of what feminism should mean.

This isn't the first time that Stewart has let her feminist flag fly, so I gathered five more of her best feminist quotes for a little inspiration. We can never have too many quotes about women standing up for equal rights, amiright?

When She Spilled The Truth About Women Having To Be "Cute" All The Time

She once told The Telegraph ,

Being a public figure, I’m supposed to present myself in a certain way, but it’s hard and you’re never going to be able to tell people who you are through the media. It’s much easier for a guy to say what he wants and not to be cute and funny all the time, but, if you’re a strong sort of woman, you’re just, for lack of a better word, a bitch.

When She Said It's Ridiculous To Not Be A Feminist

Stewart's previously commented to The Daily Beast about young actresses being afraid of the term. She said,

That’s such a strange thing to say, isn’t it? Like, what do you mean? Do you not believe in equality for men and women? I think it’s a response to overly-aggressive types. Sometimes, the loudest voice in the room isn’t necessarily the one you should listen to. By our nature alone, think about what you’re saying and say it — but don’t scream in people’s faces, because then you’re discrediting us... But that being said, it’s a really ridiculous thing to say you’re not a feminist.

When She Said Fake Girl Power Is "Revolting"

She shared with Conan O'Brien,

The whole girl power thing is such a big deal now. There’s, like, an enormous void thathas clearly been proven — that there’s a desire to fill that ... If you just change your character name from Bobby to Sue — anything where, like, a girl is punching another person in the face or being really assertive, suddenly they’re like, we’ll definitely look at Kristen Stewart to do this one. Faux girl power is really revolting.

This is a very valid point, because Stewart is saying that a female character being "powerful" is still stemming from the male idea of physical strength. Rather than women being seen as powerful and strong and worthy of powerful and strong characters on their own, female names are simply being tacked on. Adding insult to injury, it's been proven over and over again that in most action films, the woman will still be wearing less clothes than her male counterparts.

When She Explained Why She Hates Being Told To Smile

Stewart told Vanity Fair in 2012,

I have been criticized a lot for not looking perfect in every photograph... I’m not embarrassed about it. I’m proud of it. If I took perfect pictures all the time, the people standing in the room with me, or on the carpet, would think, What an actress! What a faker! What matters to me is that the people in the room leave and say, "She was cool. She had a good time. She was honest."

When She Corrected Jay Leno

Because it is 100 percent true and it was perfect.

Images: Getty Images; strong-female-characters/Tumblr; Giphy (3)