Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy Onassis was an inspirational role model for women of her time. She was always seen as a fashionable classy lady, dressed in designer clothing and pearl jewelry. Her elegant and simple style made her a beautiful lady. But when the time came, Jackie was facing serious things in her life: she had a lot of schooling ahead, after which she would become the wife of the president, and later face a tragic end as the First Lady. But despite all the chaos, she was able to handle things on her own. All images of Jackie Kennedy, being a well-educated First Lady, a fashion icon, and later a surviving widow, showed other women what it meant to be a strong individual in the 1950s. People today still look up to her, not only because she knew how to look beautiful, but also because of her powerful and courageous impressions on women. Jackie Kennedy showed that women in the nineteenth century could be smart, have an education, and could still be beautiful at the same time. This meant that women wouldn’t be looked down on for having the education needed to have a job an...
In the 1900’s women were thought of as if there only respectable job was that, at home cooking, cleaning and looking after the welfare of the family. It was unthinkable that they should be allowed to vote and work as l...
Jacqueline Kennedy's fashion influence the news story as often as public addresses of the President. “All the talk over what I wear and how I fix my hair has amused me and puzzled me. What does my hairdo have to do with my husband's ability to be President?" (Perry 60). Jacqueline Kennedy’s question was one that needed addressing because for a little over a century American First Ladies’ fashions were constantly being critiqued on a celebrity-like status. First Lady Mary Lincoln also worried about her appearance was recorded telling her seamstress that she felt the public was her greatest critic (Weinham 1). Jacqueline Kennedy’s question proved that the conundrum persisted through to the twentieth century. With Mrs. Kennedy’s logic, political actions on the president’s behalf should have been the only concern the American public had with their First Lady,but the role of First Lady held unwritten conditions. An astounding $300,000,000 was given by the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union to John Kennedy’s presidential campaign to ensure that Jacqueline Kennedy would “buy American” (Perry 58). Even though this is rare case of her fashion’s effect on JFK’s presidential campaigning, her choice in shoes was a miniscule factor to the grand scheme of his election into office.Unbeknownst to Jacqueline Kennedy before her husband’s office, her appearance would have little to do with her “husband’s ability to be president,” but rather, her own ability to embody the ever-evolving American Woman as First Lady of the United States.Jacqueline Kennedy's striking fashion reflected the Women's Liberation Movement with demanding colors, attention, and respect, structured suits and blueprints, and adaptable colloquial outfits a...
Women like Martha followed the custom of publicly staying out of men’s affairs to honor their husbands, but privately they were the glue that held their lives together and kept the home running from day-to-day. Though these courageous and tireless women worked hard behind the scenes and did not enjoy the freedom and benefits their male counterparts did, they were an inspiration to future generations who recognized their hard work and accomplishments that paved the way for change in the words, “all men are created to equal” to include all of humanity and not just certain men.
Women faced multiple challenges to establish themselves as equals to men throughout history however, this would have never been possible if not for social progress movements to eliminate gender barriers. Consider the statements of “that is woman’s work” and “that is man’s work”. First, imagine the year is 1920; what vision instantly comes to your mind in what was woman’s work and what was man’s work? Now, fast forward to current day; what instantly comes to mind in consideration of what is woman’s and man’s work? The comparison of the differences of 1920 and 2014 is night and day. Crystal Eastman, a socialist feminist, observed that the 19th Amendment was an important first step but that what women really wanted was freedom and equality. She was campaigning for the equivalence of women in social, political, cultural, and economic status. In the essay titled "Now We Can Begin," she laid out a plan toward this goal that is still relevant today and shared her vision of life that she wanted for herself and women across the nation. (Eastman)
Frederick Lewis Allen, in his famous chronicle of the 1920s Only Yesterday, contended that women’s “growing independence” had accelerated a “revolution in manners and morals” in American society (95). The 1920s did bring significant changes to the lives of American women. World War I, industrialization, suffrage, urbanization, and birth control increased women’s economic, political, and sexual freedom. However, with these advances came pressure to conform to powerful but contradictory archetypes. Women were expected to be both flapper and wife, sex object and mother. Furthermore, Hollywood and the emerging “science” of advertising increasingly tied conceptions of femininity to a specific standard of physical beauty attainable by few. By 1930, American women (especially affluent whites) had won newfound power and independence, but still lived in a sexist culture where their gender limited their opportunities and defined their place in society.
Even though women were discriminated throughout society in the 1920’s, they still fought for their rights as women that deserved an important role within our society. This change in women’s attitude influenced women across the world to value themselves and their importance. Women in the 1920’s changed the 20th century, and they are still changing society as we know it in our generation and will keep doing so for generations to
The New Woman movement helped to show everyone in our nation, including women, that women did not have to be perfect for men. This movement showed that a woman may wear makeup and short sleeved shirts if she liked without being seen as scandalous. That she may dance and have a good time without being looked down upon. This movement paved the way for feminists to show that women were a man’s equal, not above and certainly not below. Historical events and movements like The New Woman must be taught in school to show exactly why it is important not to treat our rights for granted, because they were not always our rights. Women should pursue high positions in their line of work because they are now able to, women should vote because they have only been able to for less than one hundred year. These are the things that women would not take the time to reflect upon and appreciate if they were not taught how hard their ancestors had to work for it and how much scrutiny they received for working towards
Up until the early nineteenth century, women were mostly taught what is now called a “fashionable education” (Philadelphia School of Design for Women 5). Their mothers raised them to be proper, young ladies and expert housekeepers in expectation of marriage. If these women were fortunate enough to receive some kind of formalized schooling, they were to study penmanship, limited aspects of their mother language, and very little arithmetic (Philadelphia School of Design for Women 5). Unfortunately, this small degree of education was extremely constrictive to women. If they never married or were widowed at a young age, they really had no place to go. This form of women’s education created generations of women that were almost entirely dependent on their husbands and male relatives.
“There is a double standard here that shapes our perceptions of men and women in ways that support patriarchy as a system. What is culturally valued is associated with masculinity and maleness and what is devalued is associated with femininity and femaleness, regardless of the reality of men’s and women’s lives”,( Johnson 64). In the movie Mona Lisa Smile, Betty’s mother was pressurizing Betty to make her husband read a poem at the wedding not just to act like he enjoyed the marriage but mainly because it was a tradition for men. When Betty said she didn’t care about it, her mother refused and still insisted that she should do it. Women are looked down upon when it comes to the assignment of gender roles and this is because of labels that the society has placed on the female gender. In a home, the father is always the head of the home, providing food and clothing for every family member but there are some women who like to be independent and would also love to work and make money and cater for the family. In the 19th century, women were told they were home makers and were not allowed to endeavor further in higher educational studies. Wellesley College was a college built to raise future wives and not future leaders meaning that society had already placed women below the ladder without any intention or thoughts of them climbing back
"Rediscovering American Women: A Chronology Highlighting Women's History in the United States." Issues in Feminism. Ed. Sheila Ruth. Mountain View: Mayfield Publishing Company, 1998. 494-509.
Time flew by and as the war ended in 1918, the 1920’s decade of change soon approached. The year was famously known as “The Jazz Age” and “The Roaring 20’s” because of the newly found freedom, social and political changes, and the time of prohibition. Among these powerful new changes was the freedom that women were finally able to vote and enjoy what was about to come. Instead of being confined at home, the women joined labor forces, worked with wages, and experimented with different types of behavior that would have been unreasonable a few years back. Along with these dramatic changes were their fashion styles. This style changed their rights and relationships with others completely. With that change, a new woman was born. There were not many ways for women to stand up for themselves and what they believed in. They had no voice but in the 1920’s, women found a way of freely expressing themselves and changing their relationships with others all with the start of fashion.
To begin with, there are many events in United States history that have shaped our general understanding of women’s involvement in economics, politics, the debates of gender and sexuality, and so forth. Women for many centuries have not been seen as a significant part of history, however under thorough analyzation of certain events, there are many women and woman-based events responsible for the progressiveness we experience in our daily lives as men, women, children, and individuals altogether. Many of these events aid people today to reflect on the treatment of current individuals today and to raise awareness to significant issues that were not resolved or acknowledged in the past.
The role of American women has changed significantly from the time the nation was born, to the modern era of the 1950s and 1960s. Many people, "... believed that women's talent and energies ... would be put to the better [use] in the new republic." (Clinton 3) Clearly showing that society has seen the importance of the women's talents and that their skills can be very useful, exploited this and thus, the change of the women's role was inevitable. Society has understood that the roles of women played an important role on all parts of life.
Images of women throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries have both shaped women’s outlook on their lives in the workplace, at home, and in politics, and have also encouraged change for them as individuals. While often times women are seen as weak individuals that have minor influence on society, artistic evaluations and various writings throughout history have successfully proved otherwise.
Through Women's Eyes Since 1865: An American History. Ellen C Dubois - Lynn Dumenil - Boston - Bedford/St. Martin's - 2008 - 2nd Ed. - Vol. 2