Your Excellencies, UN secretary general, president of the general assembly,executive director of UN Women, and distinguished guests.Today, we are launching a campaign called HeForShe.Im reaching out to you because we need your help.We want to end gender inequalityand to do this, we need everyone involved.This is the first campaign of its kind at the UN.We want to try and galvanize as many men and boys as possible to be advocates for changeand we dont just want to talk about it.We want to try and make sure that its tangible.I was appointed as Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women six months agoand the more Ive spoken about feminism, the more I have realizedthe fighting for womens rights has too often become synonymous with man-hating.If there is one thing I know for certainit is that this has to stop.For the record, feminism, by definition,is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities.It is the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.I started questioning gender-based assumptions a long time ago.When I was 8, I was confused being called bossybecause I wanted to direct the plays that we would put on for our parents.but the boys were not.When at 14, I started to be sexualized by certain elements of the mediaWhen at 15, my girlfriends started dropping out of their beloved sports teamsbecause they didnt want to appear muscley.When at 18, my male friends were unable to express their feelings.I decided that I was a feminist.And this seems uncomplicated to me.But my recent research has shown me that feminism has become an unpopular word.Women are choosing not to identify as feminists.Apparently, Im among the ranks of women whose expressions are seen as too strongtoo aggressive, isolating, and anti-menunattractive, even.Why has the word become such an uncomfortable one?I am from Britain.And I think it is right that I am paid the same as my male counterparts.I think it is right that I should be able to make decisions about my own body.(Applause)I think it is right that women be involved on my behalf in the policies and the decisions that will affect my life.I think it is right that socially I am afforded the same respect as men.But sadly, I can say that there is no one country in the world where all women can expect to receive these rights.No country in the world can yet say that they have achieve gender equality.These rights I consider to be human rights.But I am one of the lucky ones.My life is a sheer privilegebecause my parents didnt love me less because I was born a daughter.My school did not limit me because I was a girl.My mentors didnt assume that I will go less far because I might give birth to a child one day.These influences were the gender equality ambassadors that made me who I am today.They may not know it, that they are the inadvertent feminists who are changing the world today.We need more of those.And if you still hate the word, it is not the word that is important.Its the idea and the ambition behind it.Because not all women have received the same rights that I have.In fact, statistically, very few have been.In 1997, Hillary Clinton made a famous speech in Beijing about womens rights.Sadly, many of the things that she wanted to change are still true today.But what stood out for me the most was that less than 30 percent of the audience were male.How can we affect change in the world when only half of it is invited or feel welcome to participate in the conversation?Men, I would like to take this opportunity to extend your formal invitation.(Applause)Gender equality is your issue, too.Because to date, Ive seen my fathers role as a parent being valued less by societydespite my needing his presence, as a child, as much as my mothers.Ive seen young men suffering from mental illnessunable to ask for help, for fear it would make them less of a men, or less of a man.In fact, in the U.K., suicide is the biggest killer of men, between 20 to 49eclipsing road accidents, cancer and coronary heart disease.Ive seen men made fragile and insecure by a distorted sense of what constitutes male success.Men dont have the benefits of equality, either.We dont often talk about men being imprisoned by gender stereotypes but I can see that they are.And that when they are free, things will change for women as a natural consequence.If men dont have to be aggressive in order to be acceptedwomen wont feel compelled to be submissive.If men dont have to control, women wont have to be controlled.Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive.Both men and women should feel free to be strong.It is time that we all perceive gender on a spectrum instead of two sets of opposing ideals.(Applause)If we stop defining each other by what we are not and start defining ourselves by who we arewe can all b