Status: 11.28.2022 06:00
His commitment to equality changed Germany, his magazine “Emma” has repeatedly initiated important debates. But his work for “Bild” or his role in reporting on the Kachelmann trial also aroused irritation and criticism.
The TV movie “Alice” shows how Alice becomes Alice Schwarzer. In Paris, where she lived at the time, a friend of hers secretly and illegally aborted her, life threatening and degrading. Experiences like these shape young Alice. Years later, Schwarzer campaigns for abortion rights in Germany. Confessions in “Stern”, a collection of signatures against paragraph 218. In the film she tells what she is proud of, this motherly courage: Man, is it also a relief to them that they don’t always have to be macho, but that they can be humans”.
Attacks are part of Schwarzer’s life
The men: Alice Schwarzer meets a mighty bulwark – still today. Attacks are a part of their life, even below their belts, as the film shows.
Schwarzer: So, are you of the opinion that I haven’t caught any and that you just have to give me a good look like that?
Man in audience: Exactly!
Thick skin and a strong intellect help, says Alice Schwarzer: “I knew that women’s rights activists in particular don’t encounter arguments, but rather try to bring them down. It should intimidate me, Schwarzer should shut up! But it should be a sign to be the women. Look, we’re going to do it with someone who does. And what woman dares…
No happy ending after the first issue of “Emma”
The show ends nicely with the first issue of the women’s magazine “Emma”, founded 45 years ago. By now, at the latest, Alice is Alice Black. A happy ending? Not really, a lot of fights ensued, it attracted a lot of criticism. In the trial against Jörg Kachelmann gets bogged down as the author of the newspaper “Bild”, is accused of one-sided reporting against the moderator. Even when her tax evasion was proven, the Springer press offered her a forum. An incredible closeness.
In the headscarf debate, some classify her as an Islamophobe. He stays with his eyesight today, says Alice Schwarzer. Current cause: the protests in Iran. “If you ask me why you’re so critical of the veil, I’d say, ‘Look at what it means.’ And wouldn’t it really be a time when women are tortured and murdered in the name of the veil when people reject the veil out of solidarity with these women?”
Schwarzer has achieved a lot, for women and men.
However, there is still much to be done in his case. The fact that influencers score points for shopping and beauty tips makes her hair stand on end today. But the fact that the men behind the prams are an everyday sight is a small triumph, says the founder of “Emma”: “When men with prams or with a child in their arms come up to me and recognize me, then they get a gasp and they’re like, ‘Schwarzer can take a look please!’ And you’re right, I’m really happy about that. It has to keep it up.”
Because the sex that was once so strong can now also be weak. Alice Schwarzer has achieved a lot – for women and men. When asked what he was doing with ‘Emma’, entertainer Harald Schmidt replied: ‘I like looking at the sharp photos, I really like reading political articles. I always have an up-to-date copy of ‘Emma’ under the car on the windshield, so no one comes near me when I stop for groceries in the women’s lot!”
Further information
