Emma Watson’s days as bookish witch Hermione Granger from the “Harry Potter” movies are a thing of the past.

After the release of “Deathly Hallows Pt. 2,” Watson cut her hair into a flattering crop and moved on to more adult films such as “My Week With Marilyn” and the much-anticipated film adaption of “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” in theaters later this month.

She is also a college student, the poster girl for Lancôme cosmetics, and has yet to stir a celebrity scandal involving sex or drugs. But what is one of the top returns of a Google search of celebrity role model Emma Watson?

“Emma Watson flashes some sideboob at New York premiere!”

Sideboob: The latest in soft-core nudity that paparazzi are snapping up at red carpet premieres, magazines are using as cover photos, and fashion bloggers are ragging on every female celebrity for showing even the slightest hint. Sideboob is just what it sounds like: a glimpse of the curve of the breast – usually well before the nipple, but the occasional slip has resulted in even further media sensationalism.

At the Los Angeles premiere of “Wallflower,” paps were able to snag a shot of the nipple coverings Watson could use in place of a bra that would work with her Armani halter dress.

Is it fair for women in the spotlight to face “Best and Worst Dressed” lists every time they leave their house? Does it seem right that even when a celebrity like Watson nails dress after dress and outfit after outfit, she still has what could be considered a minor flaw detailed in every article about the “near nip slip?” Of course not. The whole phenomenon seems as silly as the “Family Guy” episode where Peter creates his own TV network, complete with “The Sideboob Hour.”

Even articles that acknowledge Watson’s awesome attributes — Stylist recognizes her “killer fashion sense,” others wrote about her acting transformation from childhood hero to a rebellious high school hipster – are few and far between, and many save her quotes for the last few paragraphs, pushing updates about Watson’s career and her thoughts on portraying a character so different from Hermione to the end of the page after photos and provocative headlines.

Fashion blog Searching For Style lists five reasons sideboob isn’t cool, including difficulty to control exactly how much sideboob is shown, and that showing sideboob draws attention to the armpit and armpit muffin top, which I’ve only heard about for the first time today and I’m having an even harder time picturing.

But there really is only one reason readers should boycott sideboob-related photos and articles: instead of focusing on female celebrities for their talent, expression through fashion, or any other accomplishment or newsworthy story, women who are in the spotlight are being boxed into a two-inch area of skin on their breasts.

If Emma Watson, Olivia Wilde, Miley Cyrus and Rihanna are only being published when the word “boob” can also run in the headline, women reading about their lives are taking away the lesson that their bodies are more important than their acting, singing and philanthropic deeds.

What do you think of celebrities and “real” women showing a little sideboob? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Written by Lauren Slavin