Karlijn Karthaus

My grandmother is 103 years old. The way she lived her life and the decisions she made, or could not make, have impacted my mother’s life and mine as well. Even though women today have more freedom, the past still shapes society’s view of women’s roles and positions. How much do our background and social structures influence our choices? Do we truly have freedom of choice?

The graduation project, ‘Not for Girls?’, explores these themes, starting with the first chapter, ‘Skirts with Itchy Tights’.
The fact that married women like my grandmother weren’t allowed to work is one of the conventions of the patriarchal society we live in, and these conventions still impact the position of women today.
The images of this chapter are obtained from family photo albums.

In the second chapter ‘She was the first who…’ the achievements of trailblazing women are celebrated. Nowadays, more women are finding their way into the corporate world. They serve as role models, showing that ambitions can be achieved. However, equality is still not the standard for women in leadership and decision-making roles in most fields of business and beyond.

The last part, chapter 3 ‘Does it fit?’, zooms in on experiences in my own professional life that has moved from business to art. While I enjoyed the challenges offered to me in the corporate world, I struggled with the double standards used to measure my performance as a professional, woman, and mother compared to my male colleagues. This struggle inspired me to create this graduation work.

These three layers are combined into one publication ‘Not for girls?’.