Beyonce Inspires Vanessa Hudgens to be a Feminist

Actress Vanessa Hudgens credits Beyonce with helping her identify as feminist.

It's not always easy for women, including celebrities who live their lives in the spotlight, to openly identify as feminists. Several negative connotations — like man hating — have been associated with the term for years. As a result, there's often hesitation when it comes to one believing in feminism, let alone publicly identifying as a feminist. In an interview on Wednesday, Vanessa Hudgens revealed to The New York Timesthat it was Beyoncé who finally helped her identify as feminist.

"I used to be on the fence about it," she told The Times, "just because I feel like it gets to a certain place where it almost has the reverse effect, where it's so overpowering and so aggressive that it's like rather than just standing up for female pride and female rights, it becomes, like 'I am the man.'"

Two things changed that for her. It all began with some empowering fans at a High School Musical show. "It literally felt like it was a massive group of feminists," she said. "You could just feel the serious girl power in the room."

The second was none other than Beyoncé Knowles, who helped Hudgens realize the real meaning of feminism.

Queen B has been very vocal about her advocacy for women's rights — especially regarding social, political and economic equality to men. On her latest album, BEYONCÉ, the singer sampled critically acclaimed writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's 2013 Tedx Talk, "We Should All Be Feminists," on "***Flawless." In a captivating performance at the 2014 VMAs, Bey stood on stage with "FEMINIST" glistening in lights behind her.

"But now I feel like there's this new wave of feminists coming up that are truly about equal rights for women," Hudgens said. "I mean, Beyoncé is, like, killing the game, and I love her."

Jacked from Refinery 29