Beate Uhse-Rotermund

Beate Uhse-Rotermund (1919–2001) was a German aviator and entrepreneur who founded a postwar mail-order business selling contraceptives and later established a sex-shop chain.

Connect

Flensburg: A port city in northern Germany near the Danish border. Uhse established her postwar business in Flensburg.
Franziska von Almsick: A German competitive swimmer who won Olympic medals in freestyle events. Unlike Uhse, she became a public figure through sport rather than entrepreneurship.
Contraception: Methods and practices used to prevent pregnancy. Contraceptives were the central products in Uhse's early mail-order business.
West German pornography law: The body of West German laws regulating the production and distribution of pornography. Legal restrictions shaped what her company could sell and how it could advertise.
World War II: A global war fought from 1939 to 1945 between the Allied and Axis powers. Her wartime flying career preceded the business she founded after Germany's defeat.
Beate Uhse AG: A German company built around erotic products, mail order, and retail stores, founded by Beate Uhse. The company formalized and expanded the enterprise she began after the war.
Sexual education: Teaching and learning about sexuality, relationships, reproduction, and sexual health. Her early pamphlet offered practical advice about avoiding pregnancy.
Obscenity: Material or conduct judged legally or socially offensive because of its sexual content. Disputes over sexual commerce placed Uhse's business in recurring debates about obscenity.
Luftwaffe: The aerial-warfare branch of Germany's armed forces under the Nazi regime. Uhse flew aircraft for the Luftwaffe during World War II.
Sex shop: A retail business selling erotic products and related media. Uhse helped make sex shops a visible, organized retail business in Germany.