Viral within minutes, the now famous speech made by actress Emma Watson on September 22 copped its fair share of both support and backlash.

The Harry Potter star and Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women used the global platform to share her thoughts on gender equality and the importance of feminism in engineering social change.

She targeted her cry to men specifically with the launch of her campaign HeForShe, a cause to encourage men around the world to stop and think about the social expectation and stereotypes not just on women but themselves.

“For the record, feminism by definition is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. It is the theory of political, economic and social equality of the sexes,” the 24-year-old said.

No more than a week later Goulburn has joined in the conversation, speaking out about their thoughts of and experiences with inequality via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and, now, the Post.

Sally Nicholson, former Goulburn resident turned Canberra teacher, is a longtime advocate for human rights.

Equality is a particular passion for Nicholson who believes the issue is as prominent now as it’s ever been.

She, like Watson, believes the issue to be one of crucial importance to both men and women.

“As a history teacher I have learnt and taught my fair share of the women’s rights movements, and although I find these women to be inspirational I think it’s important to note that times have changed and, to some extent, so has the meaning behind the word ‘feminism’,” Nicholson said.

“In recent times the word feminism has been associated with negative connotations – of bra-burning, man-hating, lonely women – and as Emma Watson declared, this needs to end…”

She said while most men are not actively discriminating against the alternate sex, it’s the ignorance of the issue which can cause the most trouble.

“Something that has dawned on me in recent times is that despite the minority of men who are sexist, most are blissfully unaware of the inequalities that are faced by women. It comes down to the fact that if they have not experienced it they simply don’t know it’s there. This realisation brought me much peace but also much distress.”

She, like so many others, experiences anxiety on a daily basis due to her gender.

“I spoke (to a male friend) of a personal experience, getting ready for a job interview and feeling extremely anxious, not because I wasn’t competent but because I was worried about my outfit… I was worried that the way I looked would influence their perception of me,” Nicholson said.

“This is a problem I face on a daily basis. At parent teacher interviews I feel anxious about whether the parents will take me seriously. When I walk into a new classroom I am shot with questions about my age or qualifications. I am constantly at war because of my gender and the connotations that are associated with it.”

That’s just one of countless stories.

For 18-year-old Apryll Glennie, who has admittedly in the past been afraid of associating with the “feminist” label, Watson’s speech was one of validation.

“For the most part I’d like to say Goulburn is a safe and friendly town to live in, but I still don’t feel comfortable in my own skin sometimes,” Glennie said.

She spoke of social media shaming, being judged on fashion choices during a night out and cat-calling affecting her most.

“Within five minutes of my afternoon jog recently I had three cars slow down or stop on the road so their passengers could shout a comment. One man asked me how much I cost an hour. A pair of boys called me a prude for not reacting to their “compliment”…

“It’s difficult to describe what it feels like to be cat-called if it has never happened to you. You feel sick and exposed. You feel violated, worthless and degraded.”

Still, feminism itself is about more than just addressing behavioural issues.

Those like Emma Watson, Sally Nicholson, Apryll Glennie and swarms of others hope to close the gap in areas like politics, opportunity, education and the workforce.

As of 12pm Monday 158,438 men had signed the HeForShe.org campaign, internationally. Some 122 of these signatures were from Australia.

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