Ida Marie Sassenberg: “Women must not be seen as objects.”

Ida-Marie Sassenberg
“Women must not be seen as objects”

© instagram.com/wellshesassy

Sexual harassment is an issue that affects us all. In Germany, 58% of women and girls between the ages of 16 and 85 have already experienced sexual harassment, which is more than every second person. Ida Marie is one of them. For our strong woman of the month, we met the feminist and talked to her about girl power, self-love and the “upskirting law”.

It was a knee-jerk reaction in 2019, which, almost a year and a half later, sent a clear signal against sexual violence. Hannah Seidel had herself become a victim of “upskirting” and in response to this she launched a petition to make secret photography under the skirt a punishable offence. She brought in Ida Marie Sassenberg as a strong partner. The Munich native is committed to more self-love on Instagram, talks openly about experiences with sexual harassment and wants to encourage her followers not to hide and to stand by themselves.

That law has to exist, doesn’t it?

“Fortunately, “Upskirting” hadn’t happened to me yet, but I found Hanna’s story terrible,” says Ida Marie. She and girlfriend Hanna decide to sign a petition – but in fact there hasn’t been one against “upskirting” yet. “We were so amazed. There must be a law against that.” The two weren’t the only ones who couldn’t believe it, and so their petition was signed by more than 10,000 people within a very short time. The petition against “upskirting” was not only discussed more and more on social media, the petition platform “change.org” also supported the friends in the fight for the law, which on the one hand should put offenders in their place, but on the other hand, has a much deeper background, according to Ida Marie.

We didn’t just want perpetrators to be punished. The law should set a clear signal and show which side we are on as a society!

You are not to blame for what happened to you

Both women did it! Since the beginning of 2021, unsolicited photography and filming and rocking another person has been punished with a prison sentence of up to two years or a fine under Section 184k StGB. A big milestone for Ida Marie and girlfriend Hanna Seidel. But that’s not all. Ida also continues to campaign for women’s rights on her Instagram account. The personal exchange with her followers, 95% of whom are female, is important to Ida. She speaks openly and unembellished on her Instagram channel about the relationship to her own body, clears up unrealistic ideas about women and sexuality and sometimes vents her anger about sexual harassment in everyday life. She wants to encourage the women out there to stand up and say when something bad has happened to them and to raise awareness that there is no justification or excuse for sexual harassment of any kind and that victims are not themselves to blame for assaults.

It can’t be that as a woman I’m constantly being read as an object that can be used. Is this the society we want to live in?

Ida herself has been the victim of harassment in the most unlikely situations. After a delivery man secretly wrote down her cell phone number and then sent Ida a private message without being asked, she burst out and made her experience public on Instagram. She was then overwhelmed by messages in which women told her that they had had experiences like this and thanked Ida for being so open.

“Fear is always the worst advisor.”

Ida Marie believes that behind most people’s insecurities is fear. The fear of what others think of us, the fear of not belonging, the fear of being judged. Fear is the feeling that is most strongly anchored in humans. It can protect us, but it often makes life harder than it should be. Ida knows this feeling well. Too often she didn’t want to go to the pool because she was afraid of what others would think of her, or was silent because she was afraid of being the unlikable one in the room.

It was only when she understood that in most cases of fear, ultimately nothing happens that you were afraid of, that she was able to put her feelings of fear aside and stand by herself, her decisions and her body. And it is precisely with this insight that she wants to encourage women.

When we overcome our fears, we are usually rewarded with something really great.

Women need to support each other

Ida herself grew up in an environment that always supported her and took her feelings seriously. She didn’t have to hide. She also has a close relationship with her mother. “My mother has such a great personality and an amazing charisma, but she was always unhappy with her body. And then I asked myself how this great woman could talk so horribly about herself?” Ida doesn’t want to feel like this all her life. She wants to be at peace with herself and accept circumstances that cannot change. And she wants to make other women aware that worrying and criticizing oneself and one’s own appearance robs valuable life time. Her most important message to all women: stand up for yourself, don’t hide, say “no” and love yourself!

It is so enriching to give each other strength and courage. I love women who show edge and stand up for themselves!

Because at some point in the last moments of your life do you really want to think about the fact that you actually felt like you were too fat, too loud and not good enough the whole time? Ida has only one answer to this question.

Bridget


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