The feminist man of our dreams (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Ok, truth talk time: I’ve been in love with Joseph Gordon-Levitt since 10 Things I Hate About You—only cemented by his to-die-for dimples dancing across the silver screen in 500 Days of Summer, not to mention Inception (and, oh yeah, everything else he's ever touched).
Plus, I’d known that he had progressive views and was pro-feminist. In the brilliant Don Jon, which he wrote and directed, Gordon-Levitt expertly trained a progressive eye on issues of gender roles and how they can damage both women and men—while still being relatable, funny and cool.
Yesterday, he explicitly stated in an interview with the Daily Beast just how feminist he is, and what’s at the root of his beliefs. Check out this magic . . .
Prompted with this question:
I read that you consider yourself a 'male feminist,' and you credit your parents who are educators and really taught you about the history of feminism. But nowadays, you have a lot of young stars coming out against being labeled a feminist.
His answer was incredible:
Coming out against the label? Wow. I guess I’m not aware of that. 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.
Is there a level above swooning because that’s what I am doing right now.
And there’s *more* wondrousness:
So yes, 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.
Feminism benefiting society as a whole? Everyone getting to do what they want to do? I could cry tears of sweet, sweet joy right now. It's nice to be reminded that in the fight for gender equality, there are plenty of awesome, progressive (and sometimes adorable) men out there also committed to the cause.
JGL talks about other stuff too, and for that you should read the whole interview here . . . though we realize your schedule may have just filled up with fist-pumping and general swooning endeavors.
