Emma Watson has hit back at critics who claimed her decision to pose topless was hypocritical given her feminist stance.
The Harry Potter actress triggered a backlash when she was photographed for Vanity Fair magazine wearing a jacket with nothing underneath.
Some commentators said Emma, 26, had gone against what she stood for and accused her of being anti-feminist.
But she told the BBC: “Feminism is about giving women choice, feminism is not a stick with which to beat other women.
“It’s about freedom, it’s about liberation, it’s about equality.”
Emma went on: “I really don’t know what my tits have to do with it.”
The actress was being interviewed alongside Dan Stevens, her co-star in Beauty And The Beast.
When he asked what she was discussing, the actress explained: “They were saying that I couldn’t be a feminist and… and have boobs.”
March cover star @EmmaWatson opens up about her metamorphosis from child star to leading woman https://t.co/aS7acDVsm2 pic.twitter.com/kz0H7ZnLkg
— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) February 28, 2017
She said she always found herself “quietly stunned” at such comments.
Emma was photographed for Vanity Fair by British fashion photographer Tim Walker.
The actress was wearing a chunky open-weave bolero jacket with nothing underneath, but the high-fashion picture was cleverly crafted to protect her modesty.
Many fans applauded the shot, but others suggested it undermined her feminist credentials.
Broadcaster Julia Hartley-Brewer was among those to comment, tweeting: “Emma Watson: ‘Feminism, feminism… gender wage gap… why oh why am I not taken seriously… feminism… oh, and here are my tits!’”
