«Jesteśmy zbieraniną, pospolitym ruszeniem dobrego i złego»: Manuela Gretkowska zakłada Partię Kobiet

This article looks at the Women’s Party, founded by the Polish author and columnist Manuela Gretkowska in 2007, from the perspective of ‘embarrassing female performance’ – an initiative that is empowering yet leaves the audience baffled. The author discusses the founding of the party, analysing the socio-political conditions of its emergence and the difficulties encountered by its activists since its beginning. The article also presents the media’s response to the establishment and activity of the party. The author claims that the defeat that Manuela Gretkowska’s initiative ultimately suffered in the election was connected with its gradual departure from the embarrassing performance format as well as with the acceptance of far-reaching ideological compromises. She argues that in the case of the Women’s Party, the political program was overshadowed by the imperative to act, aimed at pushing women to politicize their needs.