Slag til Selvværdet (Blows to the self-esteem) is a photo project with society member Claudia Adeath behind. She gives a voice to immigrant women, who have lived in Denmark for years, and who have been in touch with the Danish labour market. Through their stories and using photos and texts, Claudia and Women of the World in Denmark will show, how women’s self-esteem can be hit by culture clashes.
These women are highly educated and have work experience from their own country. None the less, they all must fight on the labour market in Denmark to some extent. Because they do not feel completely confident using the Danish language and have a hard time expressing themselves sufficiently. Or just because their accent creates a language barrier.
This photo essay is constructed based on four questions all taking their point of departure in the professional area:
- How did you feel, when you first came to Denmark? 2. How did you feel, when you were confronted at the labour market? 3. How did you see yourself at that moment? 4. How do you see yourself regarding your professional future?
Claudia asked the women not just to answer using words, but also using their body language, their face, their own expressions. The result was four portraits of each woman, which all expresses something differently. The participating women come from different cultural backgrounds; however, they are united by the same dilemma: How do I break the stigmatization and become recognized as a professional with the opportunity for a good and relevant job in Denmark?
Her idea behind this photo essay is to show immigrant women in their prime age, when it comes to both life and work experience, energy and productivity. In her eyes, their different cultural backgrounds ought to be a strength, as they can contribute with new ideas and ways of working and beneficiate in so many areas, especially within the creative department.
Furthermore, she wants to demonstrate, how different us immigrant women in Denmark are – and unlike the stereotyped image painted of us in the media and by politicians. Claudia also hopes that these strong women and their stories might inspire other women in the Danish labour market, because even though blows to the self-esteem can break you down, it can also make you stronger.
See all the pictures of the participants in the project and their stories on our Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1846597005589891&id=1598330920416502
Also, read about Claudia’s project: https://adeath17.wixsite.com/slagtilservaerdet