Emma Watson, best known for her role in the Harry Potter movies, was recently named the newest U.N. Women Goodwill Ambassador. What was her first act in her new role? She has joined the endless list of women who were outraged over a Turkish politician’s comment that women should not laugh in public.
According to The Huffington Post , hundreds of Turkish women began posting photos of themselves laughing on Twitter as a protest against comments made by Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc, who reportedly urged women to not laugh in public in order “ to protect moral values .”
“A woman should be chaste. She should know the difference between public and private. She should not laugh in public. Where are our girls, who slightly blush, lower their heads and turn their eyes away when we look at their face, becoming the symbol of chastity?” he asked, according to the Hurriyet Daily News .
Many were outraged by these comments, including Turkish women and women throughout the world. Photos started streaming in by the hundreds in support for the Turkish women, just check out a few for yourself:
Turkish women laugh in a public garden in a rebuke of a senior official’s admonition against women laughing in public pic.twitter.com/euwXRCxAJp
— Jairaj P (@jairajp) August 10, 2014
Turkish women react to the country’s deputy PM saying women should not laugh in public http://t.co/4W37jGb2tE pic.twitter.com/dRMVqp12RL ”
— Claire Heffron (@ClaireHeffron) August 7, 2014
we support turkish women #lol #direnkahkaha #greece #turkey #laugh pic.twitter.com/sQ6YtBVdSx
— Areti (@aretouz) August 7, 2014
Dep PM Arinc urged women not to laugh in public to protect morality, so Turkish women posted laughing pix on Twitter pic.twitter.com/8QwuwOVRiC
— Lissa Reidel (@Muktanini) August 8, 2014
Laughing at outdated views, these women are redefining how to use #Twitter . http://t.co/Mk1Fo84iZE #TweetYourself pic.twitter.com/ZwkSTwXtDl
— RebelMind Comms (@getrebelmind) August 14, 2014
#TurkishWomen – Will Women Have the Last Laugh in #Turkey ? | http://t.co/82p0eOgLKp pic.twitter.com/S4P37DNZyU
— The Trending Buzz (@TheTrendingBuzz) August 7, 2014
Turkish women lol in the face of Deputy PM’s suggestion that they shouldn’t laugh in public: http://t.co/sh92o5GMOb pic.twitter.com/mSyens1q5g
— Dazed (@DazedMagazine) August 2, 2014
Turkish women post pics to protest deputy PM’s demand that Muslim women not laugh in public http://t.co/dqC7j299c4 pic.twitter.com/Tqm8RCpLqh
— Burak Erden (@burrakerden) July 30, 2014
Turkish women not allowed to laugh loudly in public says deputy PM: http://t.co/krQOdtaHqs #kahkaha #direnkahkaha pic.twitter.com/66LOUoFRKf
— The New Daily (@TheNewDaily_) July 29, 2014
Emma Watson has even joined the movement by posting a photo of herself out in public smiling and laughing.
. @UN_Women @phumzileunwomen @e_nyamayaro pic.twitter.com/YkvWKN3iqo
— Emma Watson (@EmWatson) August 1, 2014
According to Boston.com , Emma Watson’s twitter pic has already received well over 13,000 favorites. As of this report, her tweet has received 17,899 “favorites” and has been retweeted 9,489 thousand times.
[Image via Emma Watson Twitter]