Young woman is now fighting sexual harassment on Instagram - "The problem is not 'the man' ..."

Despite MeToo, sexual harassment is a taboo subject - and a bitter reality for half of all women in Germany. Lucie Karmann is now making the topic visible on Instagram.

• Sadly, sexual harassment is part of everyday life for many women.
• The #metoo debate made the topic popular a few years ago.
• Lucie Karmann from Moosburg wants to give the victims a voice on Instagram.

Moosburg - “Dear people, my body is my body . If I want to show it, I do so, no matter how revealing. That doesn't mean that I'm 'easy prey' . It doesn't mean that I'm a slut . Above all, that doesn't mean that I want to sleep with you . I'm sorry. So not really. "This statement has Lucie Karmann some time ago on Instagram released. Since then, the 22-year-old from Moosburger has been using her account for sexual harassment- which, according to a survey by the market research institute YouGov, has already seen almost half of women in Germany - to make them visible . In the FT interview, she talks about her motivation, little glimpses of light, and why everyone has to take responsibility .

Ms. Karmann, with the Instagram post “My body is my body” you are clearly positioning yourself against sexual harassment. Was there a specific trigger for the contribution?

Yes. I shared a post about the fact that women are not "easy prey" just because they are more open on the internet or on the street. A man who was strange to me reacted to this - with a picture of his genitals. Unfortunately, it wasn't the first time a man had sent me a picture like this, and I keep wondering if you really believe that getting a message like this turns on any woman.

My mailbox burst: I had over 70 messages.

Sending such penis pictures, so-called "dick pics", is a criminal offense. How did you react?

I was fed up . I shared the man's message publicly on my Instagram story . I thought to myself: “You send me a picture without being asked, then I will use this picture without being asked.” That is provocative and maybe not quite right, I know. But I broke my collar. It was also evident that the profile of the man who sent me the picture was fake anyway . So the whole thing won't have hurt him that much.

On Instagram against sexual harassment: Moosburger fights - "I burst my collar"

What reactions did this story generate?

My mailbox burst: I had over 70 messages. Most of them were reactions from people who made fun of the sender of the picture and gave me encouragement . But in between there were always messages from women telling me their story. I haven't thought so much about the first. But then there were more and more.

Some of the stories ran cold down my spine.

Who got in touch with you?

So far 32 women and three men have told me their stories. I didn't expect that at all. Why also? I'm not a big name on social media or part of a Relief Society. Nevertheless, so many people opened up to me on their own initiative and told me things that were by no means easy for them. They were strong, brave and open .

With Instagram against sexual harassment: "Many take it as" normal "

What did these stories trigger in you?

Some of them had a cold run down my spine. I got angry, felt sick, briefly lost my faith in humanity. The worst thing was that many started their message with the words "I don't know if this is bad enough", or have fundamentally relativized or played down their stories : They were "only" grabbed by the buttocks, they were "only" whistled. It made me angry that so many young women assume that they may have to endure something like this, that it is "normal" , that they shouldn't be too stuffy. What shocked me most was that sexual harassment was so often viewed as “normal”, and I didn't think that many women thought that too. Everyone has their personal limit, regardless of gender. If the limit is not to be touched without being asked, no matter where, then this limit is set. Everyone has to accept it, no ifs or buts. Then that's not "just" and you are not stuffy. It is important to be aware of this again and again.

Over 30 people told their story. You publish these messages regularly. Why?

I became really aware of what was happening at about the fifth message. I started collecting the stories that kept growing. I wanted to do something but didn't know exactly what. On average, around 500 people watch my Instagram stories. I thought to myself, “What's the point of writing about it?” But still I wanted to do something for these women.

I want people to know what is happening under their noses.

Men's worlds on ProSieben: The hype was only brief - the topic of sexual harassment is topical

Then “Men's Worlds” was broadcast on ProSieben. In the 15-minute contribution, well-known women from the media industry address their experiences with sexual harassment - and reached an audience of millions on this prominent broadcasting slot.

Those 15 minutes went viral for that evening and the day after . The topic of sexual harassment was on everyone's lips, everyone was shocked, everyone wanted to do something - as it is when there is a hype about a topic. But just as quickly as it is omnipresent , it is forgotten again as soon as a new topic comes up. In this case it was the same. After three days, nobody spoke about “men's worlds” anymore . Many were even annoyed to still have to hear about the subject. I heard sentences like "It's enough slowly."

But for you it was these reactions that made the difference.

Exactly. This gave me the idea of ​​designing the whole thing in such a way that it would stay in people's minds long enough - by simply reminding them over and over again: I regularly publish stories that have been told to me - without comment, simply and of course only with the consent of the person. The main idea is to give these women a voice through my profile. Saying something, telling the world what happened without having to be open about yourself. I want people to notice what is happening in front of their noses and to be aware of it.

The problem is not "the man", but the person who does it.

Instagram account gives women a voice: "Everyone has a social responsibility"

You say yourself that you are not an influencer with a huge reach. So does it matter if the message reaches five or 5000 people?

Basically, everyone has a certain social responsibility in the world. On the Internet, it really doesn't matter how many people follow you or how many likes you get for something. Between all the food and vacation pictures that circulate on Instagram, it's not bad to say: "Oh, by the way: There is something you should talk about" - even if the topic is sometimes uncomfortable. However, you should only position yourself if you have really formed your own opinion. Unfortunately, it happens quickly that people with big names take a stand on a topic on the Internet, but have only read it half-heartedly and therefore may not really represent their real opinion in the end.

Despite all of the shocking stories you've been told, did you also have a positive experience?

I quickly realized that many men also take a stand against the sexual harassment of women. I have mostly received messages from men telling them how good they think what I'm doing and how angry they are at having to read about such experiences. That confirmed my thesis that leaning everyone together is the stupidest thing you can do. The problem is not “the man” in general, but the person who does it. It is important to distinguish. Many don't.