Annie Oakley: The Stereotypes Of Western Women

Annie Oakley is regarded as the most famous and remembered woman from the western time period. She transformed the stereotypes that women were fighting against in the time period. Women faced pressures in their social and physical lives. Every thing they did was scrutinized by men and other women if not within the stereotype of a typical woman. Annie Oakley’s legacy after her death is that of a woman that stood out regardless of what others thought. She is remembered as the greatest woman shooter in history. She was “the first to create a picture of the cowgirl in the public mind” (Riley 34) Annie Oakley through her life and her accomplishments not only changed the stereotype of western women but also changed the way that women live their life.

Today that is what people discuss about her the most. However, a part of her legacy is not as widely recognized nor talked about in present times. Oakley transformed the way that women viewed themselves and the way that women were viewed in the eyes of an entire society. Women faced immense pressures in their life to raise a successful family and to have a good home. They did not have the same powers and rights that men had in this time period and it was hard for them to make a name for themselves when they relied on their husband for virtually all aspects of their

She was born in Ohio and group up in a log cabin. These things are not what someone would expect when describing one of the most influential western women in history. When describing someone as Western, most people would use their geographical location as the main factor. However it is the ideals of a person that identified them as “western”. Annie Oakley because of what she did in her life and the way she dealt with the pressures of a demoralizing society is recognized as western, not because of simply being born west of the Mississippi River. Annie Oakley was “eight years old” when she made her “first shot” (The Yorkville Enquirer, September 5, 1919) with a gun. From an early age, she possessed a God-given talent that stood her out from the rest. She was independent even at a young age and this defined the kind of person she became as an adult. Western Women are widely recognized as being more independent and tougher than the typical American housewife during the late 19th and early 20th century. Annie Oakley took thus stereotype and transformed it even more as she showed to the entire world that she could support herself with simply a rifle. At the time of Oakley’s life women were not viewed with the same esteem and respect as men. Oakley competed with men and defeated men in shooting competitions, because of this she gained respect for herself and the female population. Oakley