Kristina Elhauge: Fierce & Feminine

“Why so gendered?” Kristina Elhauge may know why. As the head of Exeter’s feminist club, Fem Club, she and other club members have worked hard this year to spread feminism throughout Exeter. Outside of the realm of feminism, Elhauge is a passionate screenwriter, director and student.

Of all these passions, feminism is the one that most deeply resonates with her. As a leader of Fem Club, she strives to redefine and clarify what it means to be a “feminist.” “I love doing fem club. We just wanted a space where people could talk openly about gender issues, and so you know we are feminists, there are feminists at this school, and feminism is important to us,” Elhauge said.

Her passion for the club has impacted other Fem Club members and students outside the organization; the club has quickly become a very big presence on campus. It helps students think outside of their comfort zone and about current societal issues and feminist ideals.

Upper Helen Edwards, a Fem Club member, saw this attitude extend beyond the limits of Fem Club. “I think she breaks the mold of a ‘perfect Exonian’ because she's not afraid to say what people might not want to hear,” Edwards said. “It's also the things that need to be heard. She does things for herself which I really admire. She is so dedicated to what she loves, and to creating a tolerant and accepting community at Exeter.”

Lower Emma Kim, another member, agreed with Edwards. “Kristina is not afraid to stand up for her beliefs. She's unafraid to speak her mind, and I really look up to her for that.”

Kim also commented on Elhauge’s style as a leader. “Kristina is passionate. She is always prepared for meetings. She's willing to educate people who don't know what the club is all about. She's so passionate about fem club. She puts lots of time and effort into spreading the word.”

Elhauge is a refreshing character for the Exeter campus, pushing other people’s beliefs and ideas as well as her own. Elhauge commented on how Fem Club has helped her grow as a feminist and a person. “There is always more to learn about feminism, and there is no feminist who is completely set in all of her opinion about everything. Mine change every day as a learn new things, my opinions have changed and I’ve learned a lot from other peoples’ ideas and their perspectives on feminism, people who don’t agree with me, people who agree with me on most things. Fem Club has really opened me up to these things.”

Elhauge is a big presence on campus, especially this year, because of the rising fame of Fem Club and its efforts to start dialogue. Recently the club launched the “PEA Needs Feminism” campaign, in which the members started a blog where people could submit pictures of handwritten signs stating why they need feminism. The campaign earned a lot of publicity among Exonians because of the provocative nature of some of the photos submitted. Some students held signs over shirtless torsos to start a dialogue about female versus male nudity. Elhauge explained that the point of the campaign was to push Exonians to think and talk outside of their normal thoughts and conversations in the hope of either educating them or making them talk.

“I think during the ‘PEA Needs Feminism’ campaign, I thought we towed that line really well actually,” Elhauge said, referring to the line between being plainly provocative and being thought-provoking.

Elhauge describes herself as a “hyper liberal feminist.” 

“Sometimes, I’ll wanna do some kind of of crazy protest that will piss a lot of people off, but that’s my personal opinion and things that I like to do.” She knows that this tactic to push her ideas would not be effective and said that she has learned a lot about public relations through Fem Club.

Next fall, Elhauge will attend Columbia University. There, she will continue to spread her feminist, racial and sexuality beliefs, as well as pursuing her passion of film.

“I want to be involved everywhere I go,” Elhauge said. “Apparently Columbia is a really big activist place, so I’m pretty excited about that, and I also want that to influence my art.”

At Columbia, she will be majoring in film. Film has been a passion of hers for a long time, since the beginning of her Exeter career.

“I read and write a lot so I started thinking about writing screenplays. I’ve always been really big into watching movies, and then weirder movies, and what works and what doesn’t, especially experimental film in Europe that are pushing a lot of boundaries. I thought I loved it and I thought I could be good at it and film is so important. It’s such a big interaction with culture since we are such an image driven generation.”

She has already had a lot of experience in the film and screenwriting industry, despite only being a 17-year-old senior. She took the screenwriting class at Exeter and fell in love with it. Last summer, she went to the NYU School of the Arts Dramatic Writing Summer Program for High School Students. She has also written and directed for Dramat several times.

Elhauge wants to be a screenwriter or director, in the hope of being able to make a difference in the world, since film is such a major industry.

“You don't get to live any life other than your own, but I think films kind of let you almost experience a life other than your own, or a story other than your own,” Elhauge said. “There are definitely a lot of times where films are provocative enough that it will push dialogues, so it will make people think about things, and make people talk.”

Elhauge has been a great addition to the Exeter campus throughout her three years here. Her friend upper Karl Hahn said, “When Kristina cares about something-- she really cares. Her passion is unrivaled. That's why I'm so grateful she's my friend, I know that she would defend me to the death in the same way she defends her views on the world.”