Last year, Salma Hayek made an oopsie about feminism. She was at an event supporting women’s rights, equality in education, etc, and she was asked point-blank if she considers herself a feminist. Her reply? “I am not a feminist. If men were going through the things women are going through today, I would be fighting for them with just as much passion. I believe in equality.” Because we all know how feminism is the fight for inequality, correct? Anyway, Salma has a new interview with The Guardian (she promoting her adaptation of Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet) and the subject of feminism comes up again. Here are the relevant quotes:

When asked, “What does feminism mean to you?”

Salma says, “I am a feminist because I love women and I am ready to fight for women. I am a feminist because I am proud to be a woman, and I am passionate about making the world a better place for women. I am a feminist because a lot of amazing women have made me the woman I am today. I am inspired by women every day, as friends and as colleagues…

“But – it should not be just because I am a woman…A reflex. It should be a reflex, if someone else is being hurt, to help. It shouldn’t have to be because you are being a victim too. I work a lot for domestic violence, and people often ask me if I have experienced it. And I say, no, on the contrary – my father is a great man, my husband is a great man. But we are all human beings, no?”

“The amount of pressure on women now, it’s crazy. You have to be much better than your male colleagues, just so you can maybe try and get the same salary as them. And you still have to be a good wife and mother. And now you also have to be skinny, and you have to look 20 when you’re 40. It’s too much. We need to stop with the crazy expectations, give ourselves a break.”

[From The Guardian]

So… she’s a feminist now. Glad we cleared that up. And I sort of agree that feminism should be a reflex to inequality, which is maybe what she meant to say last year, but everything got convoluted. She also talks about how even though she’s married to a billionaire, she still pays her own bills and she insists that she has no interest in being a “society lady.” She also threw shade at one of her other new films, Everly, because “we don’t want to talk about. It’s not what I thought it would be. I want it to go away, that one.” Ouch.

Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.