In this project I've been addressing an issue that made a big debate in Sweden in the spring 2021 after the Metoo movement that broke through in 2017. As a consequense of the movement a well known and loved comedian Soran Ismail had been canceled after accusations of sexual harassments and rape. The comedian was never convicted as there was a lack of evidence to fulfill the investigation but the accusations stayed in the public eye and the comedian stoped to appear in media. In 2021 Soran Ismail reappeared with a documentary "Persona non grata". At SVT website the documentary is described as follow: "In Persona non grata - Soran Ismail, the comedian's case is depicted from acclaimed, to despised. It is about an accused who has not been convicted but where the accusations live on.". The documentary focuses on a man who wants to come back in media and describes the harsh time he's been through. The main issue is the one of him as a victim. The discussion in the documentary is from mens perspective and comes in my point of view to portray the brotherhood in our society. The brotherhood that keeps each others backs even the accusations.
In response to this documentary the comedian Bianca Kronlöf released an open letter to Soran Ismail that she published on the social media platform Instagram. It made a viral spread in Sweden and discussed the jealousy of the brotherhood and the problem with the documentary as it didn't adress the proper issue-the sexual accusations or rape accusations.
The project you are about to see is based on Bianca Kronlöfs reply where she in the matter describes her jealousy of the brotherhood. My view of the sisterhood is of one that I struggle to experience. I'm not convinced it even exists. I go back to child books and roses, roses that fades and braids that where never made. The symbolism of braiding each others hair, which is a very intimate action and also something you won't experience as a little girl if you don't have sisters, mothers or female friends around you. Which also addresses the matter of girls with different hair types from the norm in the Swedish schools. Girls learn from an early age to turn on each other in the game of survival in these groups of girls. The symbolism of not having another sister braiding you is a serious matter for young girls. A social rule of being accepted or not by other girls. In the project I want to welcome to the type of sisterhood I've always wanted and been in serious need of. In the pictures I braid my best friends hair when we are on a vacation just the two of us in the Swedish archipelago. We both have love problems and we both needed each other. To be safe and free with one another.
