Paula Sémer (96) passed away: a portrait of a TV celebrity, a taboo breaker and champion of women’s rights

As a screen face and producer, she repeatedly bumps into prejudice and sexism. But she resists. “Time for coffee, then they looked at me. I then looked around, yelled ‘coffee’ at the door and sat quietly.” And: “My boss said: ‘Say, what beautiful legs! You’d better show them a little more and wear high heels.’ I immediately went looking for the ugliest sports shoes in my closet.” She also does not mince words when the case about sexual harassment rages on the old BRT in 2012. “Every young woman was confronted with that. I thought it was so bad, but actually it was considered normal at the time.”

Even in later life, Paula Sémer remains a feminist at heart. “Women of today are no longer softies. I hear and read things during interviews that I think, chapeau,” she said in a 2012 radio interview. Yet she remains concerned about the situation of women today. “I’ve had such a beautiful professional life, but that I still have to hear the same problems as 50 years ago makes me sad”, is a frequently heard sigh.

Paula Sémer also dislikes the negative connotation of the word “feminism”. “Most of the young women I meet say they’re not feminists, but they do live that way. So much has changed, so much gained. I hate that the women who used to do so much are now seen as bad old wives. They they did so calmly, but with enthusiasm. All those achievements of today did not come out of the blue. They fought for that.”

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