Fashion can be defined as a universal language; people from all different parts of the world can understand the various cultural aspects that go along with it. For centuries, what the people wore helped to describe their current state of emotion. In American history, fashion has always been followed very closely, specifically adopting many european styles. Post World War II, brought along a new sense of style for Americans; more new innovative styles for women. A propaganda image of “Rosie The Riveter” focused on the empowerment of women. It was an image that represented the women who went to work in factories, during the war. As further explained by Eileen Boris, “Work clothes and street clothes, the height of heels, the length of skirts, …show more content…
During the year of 1943, it is said that nearly 65% of women made up the industrial workforce. The image is illustrating woman empowerment and the ability to be seen as equal as men. This specific propaganda poster, led to many changes in the workforce and societal alterations for women. Gender had a lot to do with this specific change in the workforce, it became the main focus of discussion. Many were shocked by the way women could perform in these industrialized settings. The whole purpose of the “We Can Do IT” phrase, was aimed at the women of the 1940s and would be left as remembrance of all that is achievable. As stated by J.V. Peluchette in his “Dressing to Impress” article, “It is likely that there are individual differences in attire-related beliefs and behaviors. Gender differences have received some research attention with regard to attire but results have been mixed”(J.V.PELUCHETTE). His research proves that the workplace certainly looked closer at what women are wearing rather than keeping clothing goals equal. Another interesting facet of this time period was the research that was done behind the articles of clothing that was worn. Although, it was mainly gender based around women, there was a time where researchers began to look carefully at the trends of clothing. In a very interesting article written by Nancy Parezo, she focused on a very specific style of clothing, which was
This interpretation of Rosie was firmly entrenched in the concept of women entering the workforce as their patriotic duty. In the painting you can see that Rosie is stomping on a copy of Mein Kampf, Adolf Hitler’s 1925 autobiography and political manifesto. The message was clear; although men did the physical fighting on the frontlines, women were also doing their part to defeat the enemy (Hawkes). The war industry during WWII gave women the opportunity to earn their own living and contribute to the war effort. The imagery of “Riveters” we are accustomed to serve as an allegory; the war propaganda used “Rosie” as a metaphorical representation of the millions of women (of all colors and socio-economic classes) who took action during war time when patriarchal order was relaxed. These women joined the work force in order to help their country, to gain the benefits of employment, and to improve their quality of life
Rosie the Riveter and “Migrant Mother” are two iconic images that emerged in the 20th century. “Migrant Mother” was produced during The Great Depression and Rosie the Riveter was developed as WWII propaganda. Both images are universally recognizable, therefore I believe both images were intended to be viewed by everyone. It is common knowledge that the “We can do it!” Rosie image was WWII propaganda. The “Migrant Mother” gained national attention in a newspaper. “Migrant Mother” did not receive praise like Rosie the Riveter did; the image received criticism - mainly from those who did not see this aspect of the Depression. Although Rosie the Riveter and “Migrant Mother” have two completely different backgrounds, both images display independent women in time periods which it was controversial to be so.
Rosie the Riveter is a cultural icon of the United States whom represented the women who worked in factories during World War II, many of whom produced military equipment and war supplies. These women sometimes took entirely new jobs replacing the male workers who were in the military. The symbol of feminism and women's economic power was often amplified through Rosie the Riveter. "Rosie the Riveter" was a popular phrase first used in 1942 in a song of the same name written by Redd Evans. Auto factories were converted to build airplanes, shipyards were expanded, and new factories were built, and all these facilities needed workers. While the men were busy fighting in war, women were dominant in assistance. Companies took the idea of hiring women seriously. Eventually, women were needed because companies were signing large, lucrative contracts with the government just as all the men were leaving for the service. The various elements or figures of Rosie was based on a group of women, most of whom were named Rose. Many of these women named "Rose" varied in class, ethnicity, geography, and background diversity. One specially, who's had the biggest impact of all Rosie's was Rose Will Monroe. Rose Will Monroe, the most influential "Rosie" at the time, represented women during World War II by working most of her time in a Michigan factory.
Siebel, Julia M., Remembering the Riveter. Organization of American Historians. OAH Newsletter, p. 15. 2005
“I think a lot of women said, “Screw that noise”. ‘Cause they had a taste of freedom, they had a taste of making their own money, a taste of spending their own money, making their own decisions. I think the beginning of the women's movement had its seeds right there in World War Two."
New fashions were surfacing in both men’s and women’s fashions. Men were wearing Bermuda pants, baggy pants that were cut off at the knee, while women were wearing capris, tight pants that cut off just below the knee. Men were wearing tailored jackets and making a slight move towards the casual dress of today’s workplace. Women were wearing natural shoulders as opposed to the heavily padded ones of the war years. Flat, neck-hugging collars replaced the mannish collars of the late 1940’s. Waists were tightly fitted and skirts were long (Melinkoff 46). The jeans of the time were often lined with plaid flanel and dungarees were worn to the most casual occasions. The sandals of the fifties were not much different than the sandals of today.
Although the original purpose of this piece of propaganda was to help the war effort, it also became an icon for the feminist movement. People across the nation perceived women as weak creatures that were simply men’s sidekicks. However, due to the strong and hardworking image of Rosie the Riveter, the audience then associates strong with women, causing a rippling effect into the public’s viewpoint. Sexist opinions began to change and strength was associated with women for a change instead of strictly men.
...d women’s fashion to break free from convention. Bras and corsets were seen as symbols of oppression and conformity. They were discarded by many women as many new fads appeared,(). Women also exhibited their newfound freedom by wearing traditional male clothing such as baggy trousers, men's jackets, vests, over-sized shirts, ties and hats.
As scores of men left the country, they left behind massive gaps in the United States workforce. The government noticed this problem, and drafted their infamous Rosie the Riveter posters (A&E Television Networks). Rosie the Riveter immediately became famous. The poster depicted a muscular, independent woman. The United States Government’s posters showed the necessity for female workers in the absence of men (A&E Television Networks). That being said, Rosie the Riveter became the most important advertisement for the production of materials for the war materials (A&E Television Networks). As more women joined the working class, the press strived to persuade them that they could do the work typically regarded as a man’s job and still be considered feminine(A&E Television Networks). It may seem like a silly idea, but women were still overall regarded as the weaker sex. Until World War II, they had not yet had the chance to prove themselves to society.
Rosie the Riveter came around WW2 and men had gone back to war, and the women were left at home to do nothing. Rosie the Riveter was a campin for woman. She was in magazines and her main moto was “we can do it.” She was a symbol for women around the U.S. Instead of woman just being normal housewifes Rosie promoted the idea of woman getting jobs while their husbands were in the war. Just because we're girls doesn't mean we can’t have jobs too. Rosie wasn't an actual person at first. Yes there was a model, but that's not the real Rosie.
Rosie the riveter was the face of recruiting women into the Armed Forces during WWII. The increasing demand for soldiers was not being filled fast enough by just males. As a result, between the years 1940 and 1945, the percentage of female service members increased from 27% to 37%. Even on the civilian side of things, the ratio of married working women outside of their homes increased to one out of every four. The population of women that did not join the war was prompted by Rosie the Riveter’s iconic image to work in one of the many munitions industries throughout the US. In 1943, not only had the female population contributed exponential numbers in support of the war; but women had begun to dominate. Reports indicate that more than 310,000 women worked in the U.S. aircraft industry; this made up more than half of the total workforce. Prior to this moment in history, women’s involvement in the aircraft industry was merely one percent.
December 7th, 1941 marked the entrance of the United States into the Second World War, an international conflict fought with technologically advanced battleships, submarines, airplanes, and other modern weaponry. World War II would be an extended four-year-long battle fought on two fronts, and the manufacturing needs would be great. Of course, the troops were of utmost importance, but fighting men are of little use without firepower. Victory would go to the side with more weapons in this war of production. Unfortunately, the United States was ill prepared for war, and the enemy nations of Germany and Japan had been amassing wartime equipment for a nearly decade (Streitmatter). After the bombing of Pearl Harbor catapulted America into the war,
In the novel, Elizabeth Wilson discusses the relationship between fashion, and femininity. Elizabeth Wilson traces the social and cultural history of fashion and its complex relationship to modernity. She also discusses fashion's vociferous opponents, from the "dress reform" movement to certain strands of feminism. Specifically, the chapters that relate to my research topic discuss how women were forced to dress based on societal views and roles. The Chapter Gender and Identity emphasize on how women were not allowed to dress beyond minimal standards. They were unable to display sexuality, uniqueness and power. In 1954, there was an American self-help manual which aimed to dress women based on a “type.’ Women answered surveys to determine
The film titled, “The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter”, looks at the roles of women during and after World War II within the U.S. The film interviews five women who had experienced the World War II effects in the U.S, two who were Caucasian and three who were African American. These five women, who were among the millions of women recruited into skilled male-oriented jobs during World War II, shared insight into how women were treated, viewed and mainly controlled. Along with the interviews are clips from U.S. government propaganda films, news reports from the media, March of Time films, and newspaper stories, all depicting how women are to take "the men’s" places to keep up with industrial production, while reassured that their duties were fulfilling the patriotic and feminine role. After the war the government and media had changed their message as women were to resume the role of the housewife, maid and mother to stay out of the way of returning soldiers. Thus the patriotic and feminine role was nothing but a mystified tactic the government used to maintain the American economic structure during the world war period. It is the contention of this paper to explore how several groups of women were treated as mindless individuals that could be controlled and disposed of through the government arranging social institutions, media manipulation and propaganda, and assumptions behind women’s tendencies which forced “Rosie the Riveter” to become a male dominated concept.
middle of paper ... ... It also analyzed the influences of modern dresses. As Palmer and Clark (2005) mentioned earlier, both decades are the classic era in fashion history.