Celebrity
Emma Watson once felt it was embarrassing how others tried to change her image in an attempt to make her ‘sexy’ as she grew older.
Published on January 12, 2023
2 min readMany fans saw Harry Potter actor Emma Watson grow and mature over the years. After reaching a certain age, the media took notice of Watson’s maturation as well.
But Watson felt some in the media expected her to look and act in a way that would made her uncomfortable.
Emma Watson wasn’t concerned with the idea of being ‘sexy’
Throughout her time in the spotlight, it’s been important for Watson to maintain some level of normalcy despite her celebrity. Although a movie star, Watson wanted her personal experiences to be like most her age back then.
“I’ve always been fascinated by Elizabeth Taylor, and I had read that her first kiss happened on a film set, which actually made me a little sad,” she once said in an interview with W Magazine. “You need to have normal experiences of your own. I’ve never wanted to grow up too fast: I wanted to wear a sports bra until I was 22! The allure of being sexy never really held any excitement for me. I’ve never been in a terrible rush to be seen as a woman.”
Emma Watson once shared she found being called ‘sexy’ embarrassing
One of the reasons Watson may not have cared much for the idea of sexiness might have been her reaction to the label. When Watson turned 18, she felt many in the media were trying to pin a certain image on her. But Watson wasn’t too receptive to their attempts at changing her.
“I find this whole thing about being 18 and everyone expecting me to be this object… I find the whole concept of being ‘sexy’ embarrassing and confusing,” she said in a 2009 interview with Daily Mail. “If I do a photo-shoot people desperately want to change me – dye my hair blonder, pluck my eyebrows, give me a fringe. Then there’s the choice of clothes. I know everyone wants a picture of me in a mini-skirt. But that’s not me. I feel uncomfortable.”
However, Watson was adamant that her attitude had nothing to do with her connection to Harry Potter.
“It’s nothing to do with protecting the Hermione image. I wouldn’t do that,” she added. “Personally, I don’t actually think it’s even that sexy. What’s sexy about saying, ‘I’m here with my boobs out and a short skirt… have a look at everything I’ve got?’ My idea of sexy is that less is more. The less you reveal the more people can wonder.”
To Watson, young actors like herself had to live up to an image and beauty standard that might have been unrealistic. Watson herself experienced this kind of pressure. Like many stars, she’s had her magazine covers photoshopped to create a perfect and flawless image of what she actually looked like. The Bling Ring star admitted she had to get used to these kinds of changes and the expectations that came with them.
“As a younger woman, that pressure got me down, but I’ve made my peace with it. With airbrushing and digital manipulation, fashion can project an unobtainable image that’s dangerously unhealthy. I’m excited about the ageing process. I’m more interested in women who aren’t perfect. They’re more compelling,” she once told The Times.
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