– Sensational accusations and misinterpretations

– “Policewomen”, “Women are the worst women.” “There is a place in hell …” and so on. Does this mean that women cannot enter into debates where what other women say and do is discussed? Asks Karoline Holmboe Høibo.

– I’m surprised by the scope and violent tone of this debate, says Karoline Holmboe Høibo.

The discussion on Hadia Tajik’s book cover following the article that Faculty Director Karoline Holmboe Høibo from the University of Stavanger wrote in Stavanger Aftenblad on Saturday.

The article begins like this: “Tajikistan’s raw-looking photography should not sell makeup or clothing, but instead draw us to a book that starts at 50 pages on the importance of union work. In this way, the feminized and sexualized portrait is strongly out of place.

The reaction was immediate.

Unfortunately, I have to confirm that self-proclaimed policewomen are doing well, Kristine Gramstad Wedler wrote in her post.

Dr. Tilde Broch Østborg also comes with a strong reaction to the article. She writes, among other things:

Blaming #metoo on women myself I thought it was a phase that we had passed, also in UiS. Høibo is the head of the faculty of the college where a professor lost his job for harassing female students. Should Høibo be read to the point that if women had dressed differently, their sexualized gaze and comments would not have taken place?

Karoline Holmboe Høibo says it’s a disco boom.

– It is a sensational statement and a misinterpretation. There is nothing in my text to indicate that I mean something in that direction. For the record: women must, of course, dress exactly as they wish. It’s not about that. Among other things, Metoo tries to reach the power structures of life that prevent women in particular from getting up and moving on. That is how I wrote my column and therefore I think we need to discuss what those images communicate and in what framework it is done. Therefore, Broch Østborg’s comment seems to me completely unreasonable.

Problematic context

Holmboe Høibo further says that he is concerned with the context, not the image itself. This is what she thinks is troublesome.

– In my article, I tried to say something about what the use of this image in this context says about power structures. I read the cover as a seductive image. The content of the book is an important political message, while the image gives associations to seductive and glossy fashion magazines. If you use such a cover on a book, it signals that it has lighter content than it actually does. So the question is whether it reduces the possibility of women being heard.

The faculty director describes Hadia Tajik as a “role model who wants to use her power for something positive.”

– And in that context, I’m surprised you use this exact image.

Hadia Tajik has responded to Holmboe Høibo’s article. The Labor politician writes, among other things:

“I would have understood it if the accusation came from a somewhat conservative Pakistani man. The hair hangs freely and the neck is open. But it comes from a Norwegian academic. She thinks she should have been more tame. After all, the Labor Party politicians They go more often in red than green, he emphasizes. He thinks I should dress more like Jonas Gahr Støre. An excellent man and leader of the party, of course, but also a man 20 years older than me. “

You can read his full answer here:

Sharp tone

Holmboe Høibo is surprised by the temperature and the tone of the debate that followed the article. She comments on the posts by Gramstad Wedler and Broch Østborg, among others, as follows:

– The violent scope and tone I didn’t see coming. In retrospect, I realize that this is a discussion that sparked engagement. But we are talking about gender and the deputy leader of the Labor Party, so maybe you should understand what climate I moved into.

– This is the first time I’ve dated something like this. Something that has surprised me is that the sisters out there seem to almost want to gag me. “Policewomen”, “Women are the worst women.” “There is a place in hell …” and so on. Does this mean that women cannot enter into debates where what other women do and say is discussed? So we have a climate of debate that is not healthy, says Holmboe Høibo, adding:

– My intention was not to attack Hadia or how women dress. He wanted to say something about social structures, not about this isolated image.

Not important

Aftenbladet’s book critic Tom Hetland wrote that Tajik had written “… an unusual political book.”

– Has it ever occurred to you to comment on this cover?

– In.

– What thoughts do you have on this debate?

– I don’t think this is very important, but I notice that visual, symbolic expressions appear more and more in this type of discussion. It tells us two things: the first is that precisely what is visual, how things be be out, is increasingly important. The second is that it illustrates a constant search for nuances and very fine details that may express some form of discrimination, says Hetland, who had preferred to see a discussion of the book’s content.

– Tajik has many interesting and good reflections on politics and social conditions. Personally, I would rather have a discussion on these.

Dare to take a seat

Tiden Norsk Forlag has commented on the book cover as follows:

– Hadia Tajik has written an unusual political book, with a strong narrative that carries the book in addition to the political content. It is therefore natural that the cover image is somewhat different from the solid portrait photo politicians often have on the cover, writes proposal manager Kjetil Jørve at Tiden Norsk Forlag in an email to VG, adding:

– The image also shows something of what the book is about daring to take a seat, even when you have crossed expectations. Exactly how free women in Norway are to do just this, I think the debate the picture triggers shows quite well.