Cate Blanchett
"Every time there's interesting, complex roles played by actresses on screen, someone says, 'Do you think this is a breakthrough?' and, 'Does this mean there's going to be more of the same?' We seem to find ourselves in the same conversation and that's somehow remarkable....I think there's a swathe of great roles for women and certainly, there's some wonderful female performers. It's just time to get on with it really." (2015)
Emma Thompson
"I've been a card-carrying, radical feminist since I was 19. Most women who I would want to listen to wouldn't have any problem at all with the word feminist. t's bizarre. Any woman who says they're not a feminist is basically saying that they don't believe in equal rights for women..."Any woman who says, 'I hate my bum, I hate my body,' is essentially expressing a kind of misogyny. All women who come up with that need to think very carefully about what it is they're saying. Including me!" (2015)
Martha Stewart
"Even with everything else going on, I still like to take care of those. I manage it all—I woman it!" (2015)
Emma Watson
"It is time that we all see gender as a spectrum instead of two sets of opposing ideals. We should stop defining each other by what we are not and start defining ourselves by who we are. We can all be freer and this is what HeForShe is about. It's about freedom. I want men to take up this mantle so their daughters, sisters and mothers can be free from prejudice but also so their sons have permission to be vulnerable and human, too and in doing so, be a more true and complete version of themselves." (2014)
Taylor Swift
"The one thing I do believe as a feminist is that in order for us to have gender equality we have to stop making it a girl fight and we have to stop being so interested in seeing girls trying to tear each other down; it has to be more about cheering each other on as women. So many girls out there say ‘I'm not a feminist' because they think it means something angry or disgruntled or complaining. They picture like rioting and picketing, it is not that at all, it just simply means that you believe that women and men should have equal rights and opportunities. To say you're not a feminist means that you think men should have more rights and opportunities than women." (2014)
Joss Whedon
"[My mother] really was an extraordinary, inspirational, tough, cool, sexy, funny woman. And that's the kind of woman I've always surrounded myself with, my friends and particularly my wife, who is not only smarter than and stronger than I am, but occasionally taller too. I think it also goes back to my father and my stepfather, because they prized wit and resolve in the women they were with above all things and they were among the rare men who understood that recognizing someone else's power doesn't diminish your own." (2013)
John Legend
"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." (2013)
Ellen Page
"I call myself a feminist when people ask me if I am, and of course I am 'cause it's about equality, so I hope everyone is. You know you're working in a patriarchal society when the word feminist has a weird connotation." (2008)
Kristen Stewart
"Relating it to my one little avenue, people say, 'If you want to make it in the film industry as a woman, you have to be a bitch.' No, you are going to ruin any chance you have and give us a bad name. It's the overcompensation to where our generation goes, 'Relax,' because it's been easier for us, and because we don't have as much of the anger, so it's like we can't get behind it and it's a bit embarrassing. But that being said, it's a really ridiculous thing to say you're not a feminist." (2014)
Ryan Gosling
"I'm attracted to films that have strong female characters because there are strong female characters in my life." (2011)
Mindy Kaling
"Here's my feeling: For everyone, men and women, it's important to be a feminist. It's important to have female characters. It's wonderful for women to mentor other women, but it's just as important for women to mentor men and vice-versa. In my line of work, having Greg Daniels be such a great mentor to me is fantastic. Finding a writer's assistant, be it a man or a woman, and encouraging them to think with a feminist perspective, is key." (2013)
Seth Meyers
"When you work with the sort of really strong women that I work with, the idea that anyone would want to make decisions for them is hard to wrap your head around." (2012)
Patricia Arquette
"To every woman who gave birth, to every taxpayer and citizen of this nation, we have fought for everybody else's equal rights. It is our time to have wage equality once and for all and equal rights for women in the United States of America!" (2015)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
"What [feminism] 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…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." (2014)
Anna Kendrick
"There isn't a word for a member of an ethnic minority who is pro equal rights for all races, but there is a word for gender equality—and that's feminism. It's a very female-centric word. I understand that the implication is that 'I'm a woman who supports women' and not 'I'm a person who supports gender equality.' I feel like the word can be appropriated by the wrong people for that reason and misinterpreted by those people, but you just have to fight back and own that word. It's practically become a curse word. Somebody says, 'Oh, you're being such a feminist,' and you're supposed to be like, 'No I'm not.' Why are we afraid of that word? It exists and we can't get rid of it, so let's fight for it and embrace it." (2014)
Beyoncé
"I do believe in equality. Why do you have to choose what type of woman you are? Why do you have to label yourself anything? I'm just a woman, and I love being a woman." (2013)
Katy Perry
"I used to not really understand what that word meant, and now that I do, it just means that I love myself as a female and I also love men. I am a strong woman. Hear me roar!" (2014)
Miley Cyrus
"I feel like I'm one of the biggest feminists in the world because I tell women to not be scared of anything. Girls are all beautiful. Guys get to show their titties on the beach, why can't we? I don't understand the double standard of life." (2013)
Ian Somerhalder
"[I]t's so easy to forget the many women who live their lives in fear because of domestic violence. Men have an important role to play in sending out the message that real men do not hurt or abuse their partners." (2014)
Zooey Deschanel
"I'm just being myself. There is not an ounce of me that believes any of that crap that they say. We can't be feminine and be feminists and be successful? I want to be a f--king feminist and wear a f--king Peter Pan collar. So f--king what?" (2013)
Lena Dunham
"Feminists believe that men and women should have the same opportunities. If you are a feminist you believe in equal rights as a whole. That's not a concept you can really shoot down…We're going to be compensated fairly for our jobs, we're going to be given the opportunity to make choices about our bodies and we're going to be safe." (2013)
Claire Danes
"I am a feminist. And I'm so glad that Lena Dunham exists, because she is one too, and she's quite vocal about it. Yes, women have more freedom and more influence than ever, but it's hardly equal. It's just not." (2014)
Amy Poehler
"I think some big actors and musicians feel like they have to speak to their audience and [the word 'feminist'] is confusing to their audience. But I don't get it. That's like someone being like, 'I don't really believe in cars, but I drive one every day and I love that it gets me places and makes life so much easier and faster and I don't know what I would do without it.'" (2014)
Leighton Meester
"I don't know if anyone would ever deny being a feminist. It certainly is made into something of a caricature these days. I think it's demonized for the sake of trivializing feminist beliefs. But I think being a feminist simply means you believe in equal rights, and I think if you ask anybody if they believe in equal rights, they'll say yes, man or woman. And if they don't—who the heck would say that?" (2014)