Am I Sexy?
Germany | 2014 | Documentary | 52 min
“I may be a feminist, but I want to look good doing it, dammit!” In her bluntly-told film, director Marita Neher combats the contradiction of being attractive while simultaneously rebelling against the societal pressure to be sexy.
Having turned 50, she feels branded with a label: “Use-by date reached!” She feels that not only herself, but other women of her age are threatened by invisibility. Over time, one becomes unattractive not only on the job market, but on those of friendship and desire as well. What to do?
On her search for ways out of this dilemma, Marita spares herself nothing: her mother’s strict suggestions, lingerie advice for the over-50 woman, false eyelashes and Botox injections. But can she still rebel against sexism?
The director meets women from all generations and walks of life, hoping to find her own way. Unlike in the 70s and 80s, everything seems simple and clear to the teenage girls of today: look as much as possible like a top model, but in a self-determined way! For 40-year-old “sexy mom” Alexandra, too, freedom to decide is the only thing that matters – pure emancipation. Using one’s breasts as weapons to that end is fair game. A more critical view of the body and the role of women is taken by rapper Sookie and Femen activist Klara, who specifically use their bodies to fight against false images of women. For 87-year-old cosmetic surgery advocate Joan Kron, every woman over 40 ought to take advantage of facelifts to be the best version of themselves. For Marita herself, the question remains throughout her journey: is there a way to be sexy while fighting sexism?
Director: Marita Neher
Writer: Marita Neher
Cinematographer: Lotta Kilian
Editor: Stephanie Kloss
Music: Hans Hafner
Commissioning editors: Kathrin Brinkmann, Sabine Bubeck-Paaz (ZDF/arte)
Producer: Andrea Ufer
Channel: arte
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