Rowan Blanchard has become a role model to people of all ages since she rose to fame last year when her show ‘Girl Meets World’ premiered on Disney Channel. The fourteen-year-old singer and actress has been very outspoken when it comes to gender equality which has inspired young people to educate themselves on the subject.
In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, the young star says that she wants to encourage other teens to form their own opinions like she has. She says that it is important that young people find their own voices and express their opinions, even if she doesn’t agree with them.
Rowan Blanchard also spoke at the UN Women U.S. National Committee 2015 Annual Conference back in June where she gave a speech about her own experiences with gender inequality. In the speech she stated:
“As the oldest of three children, I have seen sexism be expressed at all ages. My nine-year-old brother has been called “a girl” for being in touch with his emotions. My eleven year old sister has been taught by the media that her body is an object, will be compared to other bodies, and that it has more significance than her mind or talents. This should not be the first thing she learns. This should not be her first social experience.”
During her speech, she said that nobody should grow up where what we are allowed to do is decided based on our gender. She also mentioned that we shouldn’t be defined by gender stereotypes. Instead, we should let our individual actions, kindness, and decency to others define who we are. She ended her speech by saying: “Equality of the sexes is not merely an idea, but a birth given right. In a country that has achieved marriage equality, shouldn’t gender equality be next?”
In August, Rowan Blanchard also wrote an essay about intersectional feminism on her Tumblr page in respond to a question about the term ‘white feminism’. White feminism only takes white people’s struggles into account which gives a flawed view of the world as not all women face the same struggles. In her essay, she wrote: “The way a black woman experiences sexism and inequality is different from the way a white woman experiences sexism and inequality. Likewise with trans-women and Hispanic women. While white women are making 78 cents to the dollar, Native American women are making 65 cents, black women are making 64 cents, and Hispanic women are making 54 cents.”
Blanchard’s essay received attention from actress Emma Watson who is also an ambassador for UN Women. On Twitter Watson wrote:
This is called ‘hitting the nail on the head’. @rowblanchard
We at CelebMix love the fact that Rowan Blanchard has educated herself about this subject (and only at 14!). We hope that it inspires more young people to do the same and become more outspoken.
Make a comment below or tweet us at @CelebMix who your personal feminist icons are.