Adolescense - Time for a new conversation

Something is happening in our society. We seem to be increasingly opposed to one another — men vs. women, women vs. men. And it's not just offline; it’s definitely happening online too. On social media, opinions quickly become black and white, algorithms overpower nuance, and an image of each other is formed that often has little to do with reality. Respect sometimes seems hard to find.

With the series Adolescense, we want to go back to the basics: understanding each other. Because it’s not about being better than the other, but about being able to exist together. I’ve had moments where I wondered whether feminism may have taken a wrong turn. As if it became a competition, rather than a search for equality, one where both can remain in their natural energy.

As if being angry at men is the only way to be heard. But we need each other. Precisely because we are different. Differences don’t have to divide us, they can complement us.

When I worked in the music scene, I saw how young men in the studio could express their emotions. Between the beats and the lyrics, real, raw, and vulnerable conversations would sometimes emerge. The studio almost became a kind of therapy space. And that says something.

There has been a lot of attention on the development of women — and rightly so. But what about the new man? What does it mean to be a man today?

Adolescense shows how an ideal of toughness can be passed down from generation to generation, and how it can harden into something destructive, even into misogyny. But we also need to make sure that feminism doesn’t become hatred towards men. We need conversations. Real conversations. About expectations, roles, freedom, emotions — and how we can grow alongside each other, instead of staying opposed.