Out & About: What does feminism mean to you?
Tanja Häfelfinger: It means I believe in equality. For me, feminism is not just by women for women, but for everyone who is trying to resolve injustice.
“In my work, I deal with the topic of feminism. It was particularly important to me to give the readers a simple and uncomplicated access to the topic.”
In a nutshell – What is your thesis about?
In my work, I deal with the topic of feminism. It was particularly important to me to give the readers a simple and uncomplicated access to the topic. The magazine gives an insight into the diversity of the topic, but also provides information about historical aspects. It was also important to me that all the valuable preparatory work that these women already did should not be forgotten.
Where did the motivation for the work come from?
About 3 years ago I had suffered a pelvic vein thrombosis. After this experience, it was clear to me that I would stop taking the birth control pill. During this time, I dealt very intensively with the topic of contraception and asked myself more and more why the range of contraceptives for women was so large and that for men so small. I somehow have moved further and further away from this topic with my research and suddenly found myself in the history of the women’s rights movement. That’s when I realized how little I know about the topic and how important certain topics are still until today.
Why did you decide to deal with the topic through the form of a magazine?
The magazine seemed right to me because I wanted to capture the stories of these women in black and white. They shouldn’t be able to be tossed aside within seconds in a fast-moving medium. I wanted the topic to be held in one‘s own hands and made more tangible in some way.
How did you choose the protagonists?
Choosing the protagonists was probably one of the most difficult tasks for me. I dealt very intensively with the different characters and was fascinated over and over again about all the things I red and learned. In the end I made the selection based on the four waves of feminism and picked out a handful representatives for each of these waves, trying as well to represent diverse concerns.
Which of these women fascinated you the most?
I was very impressed by Simone de Beauvoir. She recognized and realized very early on that gender is constructed by society and that social constructs draw us towards women and men. I think if we become more aware of this in everyday life, we could solve some existing inconsistencies.
What is the greatest insight you have gained from dealing with the topic?
I am questioning certain things more that I previously considered commonplace, took for granted, or even obsolete. Also, specific things that I wasn’t aware of prior are more noticeable to me now, e.g. the Pink Taxes.
“A kind of anger built up inside me for a while.”
And what was the biggest challenge during the creative process?
It was often very difficult for me to read about injustices then and now and to comprehend them fully. A kind of anger built up inside me for a while. Dealing with this new feeling and processing it was for really hard for me at the beginning, especially not losing focus during this emotional process.
What helped you while working on your thesis?
In retrospect, I would say that I was much too strict with myself on certain things and was often oversthinking instead of trusting my gut feeling. I think a few decent days break from work and the topic would have been good for me to sharpen my focus on the essentials again.
What was definitely very helpful was the lively exchange with my fellow students. During the „homeoffice-period“ we kept motivating and building each other up, but we also supported each other with critical questions about our work. I think that’s what helped me the most.
An advice you’re glad you didn’t follow?
There was a time during my work when I was extremely stagnant. I felt that discussing my work with as many people as possible would help me to get out of this situation. But somehow the opposite happened. I received tips and suggestions from all sides, which did not help me with my actual problem, namely the standstill. Maybe that’s why I never implemented these tips, which I’m very happy about in retrospect.
Last but not least: What’s next?
Good question; To be honest, I’m not that sure yet…
Interview by Catherin Schöberl