Miriam Stein: Die unverschämte Frau

Shame is one of the fundamental human emotions. It helps us understand social norms and be considerate of others. Yet women, in particular, often learn early on to feel ashamed—of their bodies, their behavior, their desires, or their decisions. Like a constant inner critic, shame whispers to them that they aren’t smart, beautiful, self-confident, or feminine enough. Even an emancipated life does not fully protect against these deeply rooted expectations and role models.

Journalist and SPIEGEL bestselling author Miriam Stein knows the power of shame from her own experience. Her life story begins in an extraordinary way: in 1977, she was abandoned as a newborn in Daegu, South Korea, and later adopted. The question of what circumstances led to her separation from her biological mother still haunts her to this day. Was shame a part of this story? In her new book, Miriam Stein combines personal experiences with a perceptive social analysis. She writes about puberty, motherhood, career crises, relationships, and the challenges of menopause—life stages that many women associate with feelings of shame. In doing so, she shows just how much these feelings can shape and limit our lives.

At the same time, the book is an invitation to liberation: with humor, openness, and an analytical eye, Stein questions the narratives and expectations that hold women back. The result is an encouraging plea to shed shame, live more self-determined lives, and claim one’s place in the world with greater serenity and self-confidence.

Miriam Yung Min Steinis a journalist and author who lives with her family in Berlin. She was born in South Korea in 1977 and grew up as an adopted child in a German family. She has worked in theater with Christoph Schlingensief and Rimini Protokoll, wrote for the Süddeutsche Zeitung for ten years, and is currently the culture editor of the German-language edition of Harper’s Bazaar. Her book *Die gereizte Frau* was published in 2022 and became a*SPIEGEL* bestseller. In October 2024, *Weise Frauen* was published by Goldmann Verlag.

Moderator: Romy Gehrke