Viaplay’s new docuseries “Powerwomen Norway” is about five women who, in their own way, have become well-known profiles. Business leader Anita Krohn Traaseth, entrepreneur Isabelle Ringnes, influences Leah Behn, editor Ingeborg Heldal and shoemaker Iman Meskini. But already after two episodes, the series has begun to attract criticism from both reporters and commentators. – What is a powerful woman? The series format “Powerwomen” is taken from Sweden and has also reached Denmark, Poland and the Netherlands. And now Norway. In Norway, Viaplay has promised a documentary series about “five enterprising leading women who are great in their respective fields”, and an insight into their careers and private lives. Anita Krohn Traaseth disagrees with the criticism that the series does not deliver what it promises. Photo: Viaplay Commentator Eva Grinde in Dagens Næringsliv reacted primarily to the title of the series. – They are visible and well-known, but how much power do they actually have? The series shows the power that these ladies have, while at the same time he builds her up more. After watching the first two episodes, Grinde says to news that the series is more similar to a celebrity program or a reality show with staged situations. But Anita Krohn Traaseth, one of the profiles in the series, thinks the series is true to life. – Whether Grinde doesn’t like what she sees is another matter, but the fact that it is contrived is wrong. Traaseth believes the series lives up to its title. For her, powerwoman means a woman who makes her own choices, is confident in those choices, is well educated, works and earns her own money. – And she influences, motivates, mobilizes and irritates, says Traaseth. – Traditional gender roles – We see many judging that these ladies are good at moving the camera, but we don’t get to see how they move society forward, says film and TV reporter in Aftenposten Ingrid Åbergsjord. Åbergsjord had expected to see a little less of the private life of the main characters and more of their social involvement. That is one of the reasons why she gave the series a second roll. – I had expected more of the sales that Viaplay has made by saying that I would get to meet pioneering women. But if you want to watch a reality show about charming women with cool jobs, then you get exactly that. She calls the series a kind of “Bloggers for professional women”. – The program creators fill the series with house and home, family, pregnancy. It is the traditional female role that we get to see, and it seems that the series will be progressive and show a new, cooler woman, but that is not what we get. – Too early to judge – Women in 2022 have family lives, and it’s fine to be a leader and wear make-up, says Traaseth. She thinks it is too early to judge a fourteen-episode series based on two episodes. – When you see a shiny poster of the series on a bus, with five make-up ladies, the result is probably not that surprising. The executive producer at Viaplay also disagrees with the criticism. He himself thinks that powerwoman means a woman who has the ability to implement. – Our goal is not to kick open any doors or tear down prejudices. We want to give an insight into the lives of these women and show how they organize their lives. – What others might think about how I represent women – I don’t really care about that, concludes Traaseth.
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The docu-series Powerwomen Norway has received criticism – news Culture and entertainment
