Oh, hey you guys. You mightn’t see me around here much for the next 12 months, because I’ve decided to take a year off* to improve my sukhasana yoga pose** and consider whether or not to go blonder. I also might get a puppy.
Emma Watson, 25, is grappling with similarly complex issues, so she’s taking a year off too, she told readers in an interview in Paper magazine.
You won’t see Watson lighting up red carpets or posing in classic Burberry trenchcoats for the next year because she’s opting out of the film industry to do some good hard thinking.
“I’m reading so much and exposing myself to so many new ideas. It almost feels like the chemistry and the structure of my brain is changing so rapidly sometimes. It feels as if sometimes I’m struggling to keep up with myself. It’s a really cool period of time for me,” said Watson to hooks.
“I’m taking a year away from acting to focus on two things, really. My own personal development is one. I know that you read a book a day. My own personal task is to read a book a week, and also to read a book a month as part of my book club.”
Actually though, Watson’s not just reading about any old subject, such as entomology (the study of insects, fyi), or the human nervous system. She’s focussing her study on feminism in order to better fulfil her role as UN Women Goodwill Ambassador.
I guess that’s probably more important than my blonde dilemma, but on a par with my puppy conundrum.
“I’m doing a huge amount of reading and study just on my own. I almost thought about going and doing a year of gender studies, then I realized that I was learning so much by being on the ground and just speaking with people and doing my reading. That I was learning so much on my own. I actually wanted to keep on the path that I’m on. I’m reading a lot this year, and I want to do a lot of listening,” she said.
Who needs formal study? It’ll only give the wrong impression. Like Watson’s mum told her, “it feels like you’d be trying to prove to everyone that you’re smart and trying to prove something by doing that.”
Watch Watson accept the GQ Woman of the Year award in 2014… Post continues after video.
And actually, it turns out that Watson is going to take some of her free time and devote it to yoga!
“One thing I am going to do that I’ve been working on for a while is completing my yoga Level 3 for meditation teaching,” she told hooks.
Namaste.
*I can’t afford to do this. See you Monday.
**I have no idea what this is.
Top Comments
This comes off a little snarky. I think it's great that Emma is taking time out to study, especially on a topic where she is a UN Global Ambassador. If she didn't do any of her own reading, she would be criticised for not knowing enough about the subject, of just being a vacuous celebrity out to boost her image. In this day and age, we should be encouraging and supporting anyone who wants to increase their knowledge! And if she wants to learn meditation, why shouldn't she?