Nemesis’ Töchter – 3000 Jahre zwischen Female Rage und Zusammenhalt

Author: Tara-Louise Wittwer

_Tara-Louise Wittwer_

Reading time: 22 minutes

Synopsis

When women stop hiding their anger, it does not create danger. Instead, it creates fairness. Nemesis’ Töchter (Nemesis’ Daughters) shows how old patterns have kept women down for centuries. It also explains why “Female Rage” is an important tool right now. It is about women being united, speaking up, and being very clear.

What you will learn: A call for more female unity.

Even in 2025, inequality, disrespect, and violence against women still exist. In Nemesis’ Töchter (2025), we look at the systems that have kept women down for hundreds of years. We also see how old ways of shaming, controlling, and undervaluing women still happen today.&nbsp So, it’s not surprising that “Female Rage” exists. This anger becomes a useful power when women believe each other. It happens when they stop letting others turn them against each other.

Blink 1 – Nemesis – The Return of the Goddess of Justice

One might think that equality has already been achieved. After all, we live in the 21st century. In Europe, women can vote, work, speak loudly, criticize men, stay single, share their opinions, and own their bodies. But the truth is different. In Germany, a woman is killed by her partner or ex-partner every 48 hours. The WHO says that one in three women worldwide experiences serious physical or sexual violence. And every day, women are punished not for doing something wrong, but for doing something unwanted. For example, they are uncomfortable, loud, single, disobedient, not kind enough, not quiet enough, or not pretty enough.

Women who do not fit in quickly learn that being different has a high price. This is why we are talking about Nemesis today. Nemesis is a goddess from old myths. She represents the story of women’s anger. Her name first meant “to give the right measure.” So, she was a goddess of fairness. But like many powerful female figures, her meaning was changed and twisted. The one who brought balance was turned into a vengeful monster. She was seen as someone to fear because she supposedly attacked blindly when angry. This old story still has power today: Women who set limits are seen as dangerous. Women who speak loudly are seen as hysterical.

In the past, men were praised for being strong and firm. They were seen as leaders, planners, and war heroes. But a woman who says “Enough is enough” is seen as sick or having a problem.

This is why Nemesis is important. She stands for something women have not been allowed for thousands of years: the right to fair anger. We women are all daughters of Nemesis. We refuse to pay the price for men’s desire for power. Here begins the story of Female Rage.

Blink 2 – Female Rage is More Than Just a Bad Mood

“Female Rage” is not just a moment, an impulse, or a “hormone rush.” It is a shared feeling that connects women around the world. This is true whether they have children or not, or if they are ignored in a meeting. It is also true if they hold their keys tightly on the train at night. Anger starts when something unfair happens, either to a person or because of society’s rules. The main question is: Who is allowed to be angry without being punished?

An angry man is called “full of energy,” “strong-willed,” or “passionate.” An angry woman is called “difficult,” “too sensitive,” or “not strong enough.” It’s the same emotion, but it’s judged in two very different ways. This unfairness is not by chance; it is a tool. This is because whoever can show anger without danger has power. And whoever cannot afford to show anger is kept quiet.

“Female Rage” starts when women understand how much of their anger has been ignored over time. It was smiled away, dismissed, or blamed on them. It is the feeling that comes up when a man explains something to you without being asked. You might understand it better than him, but he believes he knows more. Or when someone takes up your space on the bus without thinking. Or when your body is judged while you are just living your life.

“Don’t make it complicated. Don’t make trouble, drama queen.” “Female Rage” is the result of many small harms, ignorance, and unwanted actions that are called “well-meaning.” It is the knowledge that women are often not believed. This is especially true when it comes to harassment, discrimination, or violence. Women’s anger has been made to seem evil on purpose. This is because it threatens those who benefit from unfairness.

So, “Female Rage” is not losing control. It is control. It does not mean chaos. It means clarity and the wish for change. “Female Rage” is not a weakness. It is a natural reaction to a system that wants women to be quiet.

Blink 3 – Witches and Furies: Making Women Seem Evil as a Tool of Power

People like to think that witches are something from the past. They see them as costumed figures for Halloween, just harmless storybook characters with brooms and humps. But the image of the witch was never harmless. It was always a weapon. Many of these old ideas are still powerful today, just made digital, polished, or reused. This is because the witch was always what society wanted to fear: the woman who does not obey. The woman who does not smile nicely enough. The woman who is not available.

It is rarely mentioned how closely the classic image of the witch is linked to true antisemitism. For example, the pointed hat that Jewish people had to wear by law in parts of Europe during the Middle Ages was used in the witch stories. The strongly drawn nose and the exaggerated ugliness came from the same images that attacked Jewish people. Witches were a way to show hate for women and racism at the same time. It was never about magic. It was always about making people seem less than human.

These methods still exist. Today, women are no longer called “witches.” Instead, they are called “Crazy Catlady,” “career woman,” “militant lesbian,” or “feminist with issues.” The language is more modern, but the goal is the same. It is to make women who do not follow the expected path in life seem silly, isolated, and morally wrong.

The burning stake from the past now burns in comment sections. It burns in right-wing TikTok videos, in voting booths, in men’s podcasts, and in the back corners of bars. The fire is now called a meme, a “shitstorm,” or a rumor. The names have changed, but the way of thinking has not. If a woman cannot be controlled, she must be shamed. So we ask ourselves: Who will be the next “witch”? Who will be named, marked, mocked, and put down? And most importantly: by whom and why?

A “witch hunt” never starts with the woman herself. It starts with those who decide who is believed, who gets a voice, and who gets power. If these patterns are not seen, the modern “witch” remains an old story in new clothes. And the hunt continues. It is no less clear or cruel than it was back then.

Blink 4 – The Sexist Cage

The cage that women sit in is not made of steel. Most of the time, it is made of upbringing, expectations, traditions, and a supposed protection that no one asked for. “I only mean well,” says the man who makes decisions for his partner.

“Neurosexism” makes this cage strong. For example, it claims that women are “naturally” better at caring, washing, planning, and cleaning. Men, on the other hand, are seen as more logical, organized, and less emotional. This is an old story dressed in new clothes. We have heard it many times. Sigmund Freud also told it when he linked women’s emotions to their womb. Today, people act as if women have a built-in “household gene.” But this is not about nature. It is about learned skills. Everything women supposedly “just do better” is behavior that has been taught over many generations.

The beauty industry is a second cage where many women are trapped. In Germany alone, the beauty market makes over 17 billion Euros a year. Globally, it is expected to reach about 580 billion dollars by 2027. And this huge market only exists because women feel bad about themselves. Getting older leads to being seen as less valuable. Wrinkles become a threat. Self-doubt becomes a way to make money. The big promise “Do it for yourself!” is just a modern way of saying “Do it for him.” Working on one’s body is sold as self-care. But it is a tool of control. A woman who is busy with her looks has little time to fight back.

Dating also shows this way of thinking. Men who date much younger women often say, “She is so mature for her age.” What they really mean is: She can be easily shaped. She has not formed her own strong opinions yet. She does not ask for too much. She has no deep knowledge or experience. So, she is not a threat. She is like a true “anti-witch.”

Young women are seen as ideal because they are not dangerous. Older women are seen as less good because experienced women know how things work.

The pattern is clear: Independent and experienced women are seen as annoying. Younger women are seen as pleasant. Don’t be fooled. This is not about a personal idea of beauty. It is a powerful tool to control women.

Today’s cages are not so obvious, but they are real. And that is why we need “Female Rage.” It helps us show that this cage is not protection. It is only about control.

Blink 5 – The Modern Witch

Blink 6 – Punished Women: “Tripperburgen” (Infection Homes) and Magdalene Laundries

If you think that stopping women’s freedom is something from a long time ago, you should look at what was real in Europe just a few decades ago. The story of the “Tripperburgen” and Magdalene Laundries shows that it was never just about morals. It was always about power.

“Tripperburgen” were built in Germany in the late 1800s and early 1900s. They were not castles or safe places. They were prisons. Women were held there if there was only a suspicion that they might have a sexually transmitted disease. This included women who did sex work, or who were just thought to. But men who spread the same diseases were not chased or kept away. The idea behind this was very clear and very cruel: Female sexuality was seen as dangerous, but male sexuality as normal.

Even earlier, in the 18th and 19th centuries, Magdalene Laundries appeared. These were forced homes, mainly run by the Catholic Church. Girls and women were locked up if they were seen as “fallen.” For example, this meant if they were pregnant and not married, or if they were victims of sexual violence, or simply did not fit what someone wanted. All of this was done using the name of a Bible figure who was never a sex worker. This was a wrong idea that the church itself had to officially correct in 1969. But it could not undo the hundreds of years of harm.

In the Magdalene Laundries, women lost their names, their clothes, their hair, and their voices. They worked hard in laundries, hour after hour, day after day. Cleanliness was the main rule: washing, cleaning, atoning. What seemed like order was really forced labor, being cut off, and being shamed. Many women were kept locked up for years, some for their whole lives.

“Tripperburgen” and Magdalene Laundries were two parts of the same problem. They were institutions that shamed women, controlled them, and made them silent. They show how deep the fear of women’s freedom is. They also show how society willingly punished women for not living their lives by male rules.

This history is not from a long time ago. And it explains why female sexuality is still seen today as something that must be controlled, judged, and made tame.

Blink 7 – Cassandra: When Women’s Voices Are Not Heard

There is a very old story that could not be more modern: the story of Cassandra. She received the gift of seeing the future from Apollo. But when she turned him down, he cursed her out of hurt pride. She would still see the truth, but no one would believe her. A woman who is right is called unbelievable. This is a myth, yes. But it feels very real even today.

This is because what women say is often made less important. Women report attacks, violence, or boundaries being crossed, and they face doubt. People ask: “What were you wearing?” “Why were you out alone?” “Are you sure you didn’t misunderstand him?” The person who is questioned is not the attacker, but the woman. This is called “tone policing.” The problem is not what a woman says, but that she says it at all.

At the same time, criminals often go unpunished. This shows how little women’s experiences matter. Not even 10 percent of sex crimes lead to a conviction. A 25-year-old man who rapes a sleeping girlfriend might get probation. People do not want to “ruin his future.” The future of the victim, her trauma, and her real life are just seen as unimportant.

This way of thinking is not a mistake. It has grown over time. It comes from a world where women’s bodies are seen as available. It comes from laws that protect men and harm women. It comes from hundreds of years when victims were not believed, but instead called “sensitive.”

Cassandra is not just a myth. She is a pattern that keeps repeating. “Female Rage” is the answer to this. It is a group of women saying “no” to being ignored anymore.

Blink 8 – The Power of Anger and Sisterhood

“Female Rage” is not just for its own sake. It is a useful resource and an invitation. This is because male-dominated systems work best when women are turned against each other. For example, the loving mother against the career woman. Or the “natural” woman against the “loud” feminist. Or the one who fits in against the one who is uncomfortable. As long as women believe they must fight for limited space, the system stays strong.

But what happens when women no longer let themselves be divided? What if they understand that their experiences are linked, no matter how different their lives seem? Then something new appears that the male-dominated system fears: sisterhood. This is not just a romantic “we-feeling.” It is a real way of living: choosing to believe each other, to protect each other, and to support each other. It means not looking away when another woman is in trouble.

The case of Gisele Pelicot shows how big this change in thinking is. For years, her own husband offered her, drugged, to be raped. More than fifty attackers were found – men from normal society. Pelicot’s message after the court ruling was clearer than any analysis: Shame must move to the other side. The victim should not hide. Instead, the men who harmed her should. This shift is at the center of “Female Rage.”

Sisterhood means sharing this message: No woman is too loud. No woman is too sensitive. No woman exaggerates. Every woman has the right to be taken seriously and to be protected. And every woman has the right to be angry.

“Female Rage” is not the end of the story. It is the start of a new “we.” A “we” that does not ask for permission. A “we” that stays visible. A “we” that stands together.

Conclusion

“Female Rage” is not a flaw. It is an answer to hundreds of years of shaming, control, and undervaluing women. It is not against men. It is against the systems that keep women down. And it grows when women support each other instead of staying silent. The daughters of Nemesis are more visible today than ever before. They are loud, they get attention, they send clear messages, and they stand together. Through their actions, they turn their anger into a positive force that changes things. This is not about destroying. It is about freedom. They are not hysterical. They are simply asking for fairness, just like their ancient role model.

Thank you for reading, and see you next time.

Source: https://www.blinkist.com/https://www.blinkist.com/de/books/nemesis-tochter-de