There are many stars in the industry who have earned a name for themselves by sticking to their ideals ever since they were kids acting in front of a camera. An excellent example of this is none other than Emma Watson, who was one of the lead stars of the Harry Potter series, one of the most successful cinematic franchises in history with an estimated gross value of $9.5 Billion.

Emma Watson

And while fame and fortune followed the success of her films, the clouds of unwanted media and public attention would also ensue in the future. This case became especially clear to her when she turned 18 years old and saw how all of that attention changed into something different entirely. Thus, she tried to shape her image in her own way rather than the media choosing it for her, which lead to her making her own definition of sexy.

Emma Watson Doesn’t Like Being Called Sexy

Emma Watson

Becoming one of the most recognized personalities at a very young age thanks to the exceptional success of the Harry Potter series, Emma Watson is no stranger to dealing with public and media attention, whether it be wanted or unwanted. She knows what she has to do to keep an image of her in the eyes of the public the way she wants them to perceive her. Thus, when she hears someone define her as ‘Sexy,’ she can’t help but feel a little uncomfortable and concerned.

As she matured while being a part of the film industry, she noticed that after she turned 18, the media tried to tag her with the label of being a sexy starlet in the business, something that she felt strongly about. In an interview with The Daily Mail, the star talked about her experience with what it took to keep the image that she wanted and not let anyone else dictate what she would be interpreted as. Watson said:

“I find this whole thing about being 18 and everyone expecting me to be this object… I find the whole concept of being ‘sexy’ embarrassing and confusing, if I do a photo-shoot people desperately want to change me – dye my hair blonder, pluck my eyebrows, give me a fringe. Then there’s the choice of clothes. I know everyone wants a picture of me in a mini-skirt. But that’s not me. I feel uncomfortable. It’s nothing to do with protecting the Hermione image. I wouldn’t do that, Personally, I don’t actually think it’s even that sexy. What’s sexy about saying, ‘I’m here with my bo*bs out and a short skirt… have a look at everything I’ve got?’ My idea of sexy is that less is more. The less you reveal the more people can wonder.”

Keeping a headstrong approach to how she would represent herself has surely worked wonders for the Beauty and The Beast star after all these years.

How The Harry Potter Franchise Shaped Emma Watson’s Image

Emma Watson as Hermione Granger in a still from Harry Potter

While the stars themselves have a unique identity beyond the characters they play on screen, the image in the minds of the audiences sub-consciously connects their real self to their reel self, especially when they grow up playing one certain character. Thus, the image that Watson got was that of the sweet young muggle girl that everyone loved watching when she was young and started to understand as she matured on screen. While she may not be too adamant to keep her Hermione image, people still remember her fondly as the young and witty wizard from Hogwarts.