7 Celebrity Men Who Consider Themselves Feminists
Published on January 6, 2015. Updated October 30, 2017Feminism has been a hot topic in Hollywood for the last couple of years. Some celebrities are fully in support of feminism (also known as equal rights for men and women) while others totally shun the term. Celebrities like Meghan Trainor and Shailene Woodley are two young celebrities who refuse to label themselves as feminists. This either means that they really don’t believe in equal rights for men and women or they are totally ignorant about what feminism really is. While we are pretty disappointed by all of the female celebrities who don’t believe in feminism, we are relieved because we have found 7 super hot celebrity men who consider themselves feminists. They know what it means and they aren’t afraid to publically support it!
7. Ashton Kutcher
When remembering how Ashton Kutcher behaved in his relationship with Demi Moore, it’s pretty easy to assume that he isn’t in support of women’s rights. Put all biases aside though – the “That ‘70s Show” star is all about female empowerment. He thinks that this begins with education. “I think there’s so much that’s not said about sex in our country, even from an educational level…the one thing they teach about is how to get pregnant or how to not get pregnant, but they don’t really talk about sex as a point of pleasure for women,” he said.
Kutcher thinks that movies should show women being empowered by their sexuality. “Part of that creates a place where women aren’t empowered around their own sexuality and their own sexual selves, and from a purely entertainment point of view, to create a movie with a female lead that’s empowered with her own sexuality is a powerful thing,” he said.
Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com6. Ryan Gosling
When the MPAA tried to censor the oral sex scene between Ryan Gosling and Michelle Willians in “Blue Valentine,” he was outraged and called them out for their hypocrisy and sexism. According to him, they are perfectly comfortable depicting male sexuality, but not female sexuality.
“You have to question a cinematic culture which preaches artistic expression, and yet would support a decision that is clearly a product of a patriarchy-dominant society, which tries to control how women are depicted on screen. The MPAA is okay supporting scenes that portray women in scenarios of sexual torture and violence for entertainment purposes, but they are trying to force us to look away from a scene that shows a woman in a sexual scenario, which is both complicit and complex. It’s misogynistic in nature to try and control a woman’s sexual presentation of self. I consider this an issue that is bigger than this film,” he said in a statement.
JStone / Shutterstock.com5. Daniel Radcliffe
Daniel Radcliffe knows what a feminist is and he considers himself one. “Well, I think I’m a feminist, just by the virtue of the fact that I believe in equal rights for everyone,” he told Stylist magazine. In the same interview, he criticized the movie industry for not being “balanced” enough. He thinks that women need to play a bigger role in making movies, which means they should have the same amount of opportunities to write, direct and produce as men do.
“There are certainly more female writers now than there were but the fact remains, most female parts are written by men. At least there are so many more female directors, producers and directors of photography [DOP] now,” the “Harry Potter” star said. “I worked with an amazing DOP last year, Reed Morano, who did Kill Your Darlings, and what she did for that film was amazing. I think – I hope – the film industry is becoming a lot more balanced.”
Simon James / Shutterstock.com4. John Legend
John Legend thinks that all men should be feminists. At a press conference for Chime for Change, a charity that seeks to improve the lives of women worldwide, he talked about the importance of empowering women. This was way back in 2013 before many young celebrities began publicly speaking out. “All men should be feminists. If men care about women’s rights the world will be a better place. We are better off when women are empowered, it leads to a better society,” the singer-songwriter said. He also cited him mom as his inspiration. Swoon!
Legend sounds like the perfect gentleman, but don’t get too excited ladies! He is married to model Chrissy Teigen, also known as one of the luckiest women alive. He is going to have to convert more men into his line of thinking. Currently, we don’t have enough feminist men who are fully in support of women’s rights!
s_bukley / Shutterstock.com3. Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Unlike many young celebrities, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is not at all confused about what feminism means. “What that means to me is that you don’t let your gender define who you are – you can be who you want to be, whether you’re a man, a woman, a boy, a girl, whatever. However you want to define yourself, you can do that and should be able to do that, and no category ever really describes a person because every person is unique. That, to me, is what ‘feminism’ means,” he told the Daily Beast.
The “Inception” actor didn’t stop there – he also said that he considers himself a feminist. “I’d absolutely call myself a feminist. And if you look at history, women are an oppressed category of people. There’s a long, long history of women suffering abuse, injustice, and not having the same opportunities as men, and I think that’s been very detrimental to the human race as a whole. I’m a believer that if everyone has a fair chance to be what they want to be and do what they want to do, it’s better for everyone. It benefits society as a whole,” Gordon-Levitt said.
s_bukley / Shutterstock.com2. Prince Harry
Prince Harry is an advocate for equality. He gave a recorded speech to Chime for Change, an organization that supports women’s rights, back in 2013 about the need for equality and how important it is for all societies to empower women. “We all need to focus on the issues that affect women around the world and we need to do it now. We know that when women are empowered, they immeasurably improve the lives of everyone around them – their families, their communities, and their countries,” he said.
The charming prince didn’t stop there. “This is not just about women, we men need to recognize the part we play too. Real men treat women with dignity and give them the respect they deserve,” he said in his speech. Unlike John Legend, Prince Harry is currently single! If you think you can handle the type of scrutiny that accompanies dating a royal, go for it – he sure sounds like a keeper!
Everett Collection / Shutterstock.com1. Mark Ruffalo
Mark Ruffalo has proven himself to be a feminist because of his support of women’s right to choose. He wrote a moving statement in support of abortion rights, which was read outside Mississippi’s last remaining abortion clinic. He made it personal by talking about his mother and the illegal abortion she had when she was young.
“My own mother fought to make herself more than a possession; she lived her life as a mother who chose when she would have children, and a wife who could earn a living if she so chose. I want my daughters to enjoy that same choice. I don’t want to turn back the hands of time to when women shuttled across state lines in the thick of night to resolve an unwanted pregnancy, in a cheap hotel room just south of the state line. Where a transaction of $600 cash becomes the worth of a young woman’s life,” Ruffalo wrote.
Featureflash / Shutterstock.com