Portraits of emancipation: Iconic women of the 60s and 70s

The new exhibit "Decades of change - Iconic women of the 60s and 70s" at the Kennedy museum in Berlin focuses on women who played an important role in women's emancipation - whether they were aware of it or not.

Featuring 60 portraits of female icons, many of them from the USA, the images show the development of women's rights and how far the Western world has come in the fight for social equality. Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Katharine Hepburn, Barbra Streisand and Diana Ross are among the icons featured.

Public vs Private perceptions

"There are big differences between what the women portrayed publicly and how they were in real life," said the curator of the exhibition, Alina Heinze. While many wanted to be more than the traditional wife and mother, they stuck to old-fashioned values because either their positions required them to do so, or out of their own desire.

Most of the photographs of the exhibition were taken by men who presented the women according to the photographer's wishes. Juxtaposed in the exhibition are these staged images to those taken in public or private.

Many of these women are known for wanting to create their own niche in the world and only depend on themselves. Many used their fame to try raise awareness for women's rights and improve their overall situation not only in their home countries.