ESC 2022
TV viewers scoff at Barbara Schöneberger’s outfit – “Knallbonbon”
Barbara Schöneberger at the ESC preliminary decision. For the finale, she chose a much more colorful outfit
© Britta Pedersen / Picture Alliance
Traditionally, Barbara Schöneberger was once again in front of the camera as a moderator at the final of the Eurovision Song Contest. For her behavior – and especially for her outfit – she received some criticism.
On the German side, there were few surprises at the Eurovision Song Contest in Italy. Germany took last place and Barbara Schöneberger was the moderator for the “Countdown for Turin” in front of the camera – which meant foreign shame for a number of TV viewers. The 48-year-old was criticized online. Her choice of clothes caused a lot of ridicule.
The presenter wore a full skirt with wide pink and green stripes, a sparkling tie at the waist and a ruffled collar that stretched around her neck and shoulders. She also talked about her exotic styling herself. “My dress is al dente,” said Barbara Schönberger – and also revealed what she wore underneath. “My underwear is tighter than Boris Becker’s cell,” she joked.
Barbara Schöneberger as “Christmas Elf”
TV viewers found the presenter’s appearance more embarrassing than funny. “Barbara looks like cracker,” wrote an ESC fan on Twitter. Others found that the 48-year-old resembled a “Christmas Elf”, a “German Christmas Tree” or that she looked “as if she were about to take part in a theatrical performance of Maya the Bee as a flower”. Another viewer wondered, “Why does Barbara Schöneberger have a stylist who clearly hates her?”
“When you see Barbara Schönenberger, you want black and white television back,” commented one man on the colorful fashion creation. The extravagant clothes even caused a stir among the guests in the studio. “It’s pop, in the middle folklore belt and somehow like Christmas in San Marino,” Thomas Hermanns described the appearance of his colleague. The unusual outfits for the ESC final have almost become a tradition. Viewers have already made fun of Barbara Schöneberger’s looks in previous years.
The criticism was not only directed against the moderator’s clothes. On social networks, viewers accused her of using racist clichés. For example, right at the beginning of the show, she imitated an Italian accent. Also, she confused the “United Kingdom” (Great Britain, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland) with “Great Britain” (Britain only). Several people described the TV star as “the most unpleasant, embarrassing and most annoying woman on German television”. A viewer called for a “petition that Barbara Schöneberger finally disappear from German TV.” Apparently not a few viewers would sign this.