For our THE COLLECTIVE ISSUE, we came up with something very special for our beloved #heroine section: Because we believe in and fully celebrate the power of the collective, we wanted #heroines from our fabulous fempop universe to have their say, so we asked them, "Why is the power of the collective so important today and how do you use it in your everyday lives?" The result is a collection of inspiring and thought-provoking statements that we hereby present to you.
... as a collective we are stronger, can combine our skills and learn from each other!
f96, a feminist interdisciplinary collective based in Zurich: "For us, working in a collective is an opportunity to let ideas develop in a protected framework and to implement them together. As a collective we are stronger, we can combine our skills and learn from each other. The cultural scene is patriarchally dominated; through interdisciplinary collaboration we believe we can question and overcome these entrenched structures. In this way, we want to create a basis for a more inclusive and open scene."
... as if I had Sailor Moon Guardians has my back!
Noemi Grütter, activist: "The power of the collective, of FINTAs or cis-men in solidarity, is in itself a rebellious act against patriarchy. With the united force of mutual support, shared outcry, understanding offered, and suffering shared, strength, protection, energy, and the fire within me are generated to rebel, counter, and collectively create a world with feminist values against stereotypes, everyday sexism, and other forms of discrimination. This collective is more important than ever because we live in a time when the feminist movement and human rights activists are under attack and under-protected. That's why we need to support each other. There is no stronger source of resources for me than the sisterhood of my closest friends and the feminist community in Switzerland and internationally. This collective makes me feel like I have Sailor Moon Guardians at my back in everyday life, and it gives me confidence that together we can achieve anything."
... together we tear down imposing norms and free ourselves and our sexuality!
Jessica Sigerist, Sex Shop Owner and Sex Educator: "The sexual is political! Many feel alone with their sexual problems - yet they often deal with the same issues. Only when we come together, we realize that behind our worries are not individual failures but societal structures. With untamed.love we try to build a community where we can exchange, encourage and empower each other. Together we tear down constricting norms and liberate ourselves and our sexuality."
... only together do we get a variety of perspectives on issues and approaches to negotiate!
Yael Anders, Design & Projects: "Collective living: In Swedish, living in a shared apartment is called 'Kollektiv'. So translated I would say 'I live in a collective' instead of a shared apartment like we do. It should also be noted that communal living is less common compared to, for example, Zurich. I therefore got to know the term 'collective' in connection with living space and living together. Today I live with twelve people in a house in Zurich's old town. Going through everyday life together, being there for each other, cooking together and living in a house together has become for me the epitome of a collective that we live and appreciate every day. Only together do we get a variety of perspectives on issues and approaches to negotiate, and I'm sure that moves us all forward."
... in a time of simultaneity we have to experience, experiment and discuss together - as a collective - in order to learn something new!
Raphaela Pichler and Marisa Burn-Pichler, Founder House of Change by BurnPichler: "The problems of our world are far more complex than can be solved with just one truth. We want to create inclusive spaces and acknowledge the heterogeneity of our society. We respect it as a diversity that makes our solutions and visions more holistic. In a time of simultaneity, we need to experience, experiment and discuss together - as a collective - to learn new things."
"1+1=lovelovelove"
Pascale Wiedemann, Künstlerin Wiedemann/Mettler
... as a collective we can discover our inner queen
Irène Schäppi, Co-Founder The Goddess Collective and author of 50 Years of Women's Suffrage in Switzerland: "Collectives can make issues such as spirituality, gender equality or climate change visible and thus (at best) bring about social change. And we think that's magical. We would also like to contribute to a social change - we are thinking here of inclusivity in every respect - with The Goddess Collective. For us, it's not just about inspiring people to discover their inner queen; rather, we want to show them that they are not alone on this path. And hope to support them with The Goddess Collective to be their unapologetic self. Be it through tarot readings, crystals, our self-designed jewelry or a hug. Because, only together are we strong."
This article was first published on fempop.com and has been softly edited for this publication.
