Bibliography

Doyle, J. (2009, February 28). Rosie the riveter. Retrieved from http://www.pophistorydig.com/?p=877

Dungan, T. (2009, June 09). Rosie the riveter. Retrieved from http://www.rosietheriveter.org/painting.htm

Sorensen, A. (2007, March 12). Rosie the riveter: Women working during world war ii . Retrieved from http://www.ushistoryfacts.com/riveter

My Role in History

                Many people dub Rosie the Riveter as a feminist icon, but historians stress that she wasn't at all. Rosie was created to inspire women to join the work force. In the second world war, a problem arose where (due to the masses of men leaving to serve in the war), there was a huge gap in job vacancies. The country desperately needed American women to step up and continue the work that needed to be done.

                Most of the jobs in dire need were in factories making supplies for the war. Popular jobs for women in this time were on the West coast, often serving in shipyards, in assembly lines or, you guessed it, riveters. Women in this time period were actually accustomed to the working environment, but it was very sexually separated. Women often worked "easy" jobs, in department stores or nurseries, while it was up to the men to do the mining and factory work. When society realized it's need to fill in the jobs, the government created a propaganda campaign to convince the country's wives and mothers to leave their comfortable lives, and move to the west for industry. It was due to "loyal, pretty, and patriotic" Rosie (and her relatable relationship with her soldier boyfriend, Charlie) that women realized that it was their DUTY to serve their country. They could bring honor, and hopefully their loved ones home more quickly, if they answered the call to work.

                While patriotism played a role in recruiting women, the economic side of the coin played a large part in the decision. The western industry jobs proved to pay a lot more than their old ones, in addition to teaching them real life skills, and giving them a sense of satisfaction. However, while Rosie is most associated with factory jobs, the majority of women worked in service for the nation, such as telephone connectors. Women loved these jobs for multiple reasons; the money was better, less dirty work was required, and the hours were more flexible. A huge struggle for women at this time was balancing the load between working at their paid job, and helping at the house. This is a new problem that men had never before had to deal with.

                Although the women were simply trying to help, their actions were not always appreciated. Men grew suspicious of women's intentions and sometimes formed unions against them. Women were not taken seriously in the workplace (especially if working in a traditional male role), and were not given the full advantages that men previously received. Women were paid a lot less, and were denied any say in the direction of their company. The outlook improved, but society consistently reminded the girls that it was their primary job to serve in the household. The belief spread that a careered woman would never find a husband.

                After the war, most of the women were replaced by men workers, and the girls left behind were paid exceptionally less. Although it may have seemed as if all their hard work was erased, the temporary reign in the WWII period gave women a sense of hope. The experience allowed women to believe that they were capable of doing "man work", as well as providing in the household. The euphoria led to the determination for voting rights, and eventually equal rights for women in the United States.

Marilyn Monroe...the Riveter?

It's true; Marilyn Monroe was once a Real Rosie! In 1945, (before Marilyn became the Hollywood starlett), the New York "Yank" magazine did an article about the war effort in New York. At the time, she was married to a marine, and named Norma Jean Dougherty. Marilyn was working in an assembly line at Radio Plane munitions factory in California, to support her husband who was off fighting the war. The unfamous Marilyn was featured on the cover of the "Yank" magazine, holding a propeller blade happily. It was at this very factory where Marilyn's talents were discovered. Marilyn filed for divorce, and ran away to pursue her dreams of becoming a Hollywood actress.

Real Life Rosies

Many of the women who had responded to "Rosie's Call" had been from small town states, who moved to California. These women worked in factories that made things necessary for war, such as arms, but often times whole ships and airplanes too. These girls roughed it out, and did what was necessary to lead their country to victory.

Bethena Moore

Bethena was a small woman of only 110 pounds, who was originally a laundry lady. She moved from Louisiana to California, and worked in a shipyard. She was helpful in sneaking into the small cracks of the ship on a tiny ladder to weld the ship's bottom. She recalls that it was very dark and scary, but she worked for the soldiers overseas.

Phyllis McKey Gould

Phyllis was an African-American woman who also moved to California to become a welder. Prior to her "calling", Phyllis had never worked a day in her life. She recalls that she felt that it was her suty to serve the nation. At one point in history, there were 90,000 African-American women working in California shipyards.

Dot Kelley

Dot had just gone through a nasty divorce, and was now singularly raising her children. When she saw the $600 checks the women at the shipyards were making, she quit her job at the local department store, and requested a job at the shipyard. A determined mother, Dot worked nights so that she could be with her children during the day. Dot received major  injuries due to her hard work. Once the war ended, she was forced to work 2-3 jobs to provide for her children. When Dot was 94 years old, the National Public Radio told her story.

Timeline

1942-
Pittsburgh artist J. Howard Miller was hired by the Westinghouse Company’s War Production Coordinating Committee to create a series of posters for the war effort. The original "We Can Do It!" poster was among these. The poster was nothing exceptional at the time, and is rumored to have only been in one factory area for just two weeks.
February 1942- Redd Evans and John Jacob Loeb released the song "Rosie the Riveter", about a young woman who enters the workforce to help support her soldier boyfriend, Charlie. It was performed and variated by many different music groups at the time, and in later decades.

1943
May- The Saturday Evening Post released an issue with a cover painted by Norman Rockwell of a strong and sassy Rosie the Riveter. Rosie was eating a sandwich while o her lunch break at a dirty factory, with her foot slyly standing on Hitler's novel "Mein Kampf". The controversial cover immediately got people talking, and was the first major event in the Rosie the Riveter phase.
June-Due to the huge response the newspaper recieved from the public on their last cover, the Saturday Evening Post ran a story about the Norman Rockwell painting of Rosie the Riveter. The article analyzed the satire used in the painting, and the statement was made that "Rockwell’s Rosie tramples Hitler under her all-American penny loafer.". The article reinstigated the idea that American women (if up to the task) could easily play a huge part in the nation, and trample Hitler.
July- The Art Digest magazine did another follow up on the famous painting in their publishings. The magazine analyzed the painting in the same way that the Saturday Evening Post had, but it was due to this second article that the painting was begged to go on tour around the country.
August- Life magazine was the next to step into the limelight, as it took the analysis of Rosie the Riveter one step further in "The Many Faces of Rosie the Riveter". The magazine interviewed dozens of "real-life Rosies" around the country, and opened the nation's eyes to the female heros of the country. Women were named and interviewed on what their job was in their factory, what it involved, and who they were fighting for. The piece was very moving and made women everywhere realize that factory work was something that they could, and should, do.
September- The Magazine War Guide asked all US magazines to participate in the "Women and Work" cover promotion. They requested that in the month of September, magazines would dedicate their covers to promote vital work jobs for women. This idea helped spread the word to citizens from every social and interest standing in America.
                   - The Saturday Evening Post dazzled America yet again with their cover. When the Women and Work request was sent, they contacted Norman Rockwell for another Rosie painting. Titled "Rosie to the Rescue", the painting shows the woman as a jack-of-all-trades. Dressed in an American flag patterned outfit, she slings dozens of objects over her shoulder, each representing an in-demand job. Some jobs represented include a nurse, mechanic, telephone operator, milkman, farmer, and other civilian jobs. Ths really got the word out about easy, everyday things women could do to help their country.

1944
Hollywood releases "Rosie the Riveter", a romantic comedy movie about a woman working at a dirty factory. The film continued to promote women roles in industry.

1980
"The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter" documentary is released. The documentary included 700 interviews with people involved in the making of Rosie, to real life Rosies who worked in the industries. The documentary enabled people of the later time period to understand the role of women in the second world war.

1984
The movie "Swing Shift" was released, following the same idea as Rosie. The film tells the story of the dramatic lives of five women working in an airplane industry in the 1940's. The movie continued to live on legacy of Rosie.

1998
-The United States Postal Service released a Rosie the Riveter postage stamp, displaying the original "We Can Do It!" poster.
-A Rosie the Riveter action figure is released, stating the idealism of Rosie as an American heroine. When describing the doll, one of the toy merchants jokingly explained  “…You can use her to beckon your Barbies out of their mansions and into the factories to do their part for the US of A."

2000
The Rosie the Riveter Memorial is opened in California. The memorial provides a resting place fthe brave women who played a role in the war. The memorial features a statue of a ship under construction, signifying the average job completed by the women whose bodies remain there.

2002
In this year, the original painting of Rosie, done by Norman Rockwell, was put on auction by a collector, to the general public. The heat for the painting was heavy, and it ended up being sold for $4,959,500. It goes to show just how big of an impact this woman had on the nation.

Some of my photoshoots...

Modern Day Me

      In the 1940's, I believed that women could soon rule the world. I knew that us ladies had just as much (if not, more) potential as men, and could achieve anything that we set our minds to. Seventy years later, my ladies have made me proud. Women have risen up to the occasion, earning thousands of dollars a year, being single mothers, voting in political elections, and all while looking stunning in four inch heels.
      Here is a list of some of my Modern Day Rosie's. The women in this list have all set amazing examples for women everywhere; leading womankind into new opportunities, presenting new ideas, and changing the rules on what it means to be a woman.

Oprah Winfrey (1954)

Oprah is best known for her self-named talk show, but she is also an actress, producer, and philanthropist. Oprah was rasied by a teenage mother living below the poverty line, and was accordingly raped at just age nine. In high school, Oprah was the school radio host, and from there thrived from her love of media. Oprah has been ranked the richest African-American of her century, as well as the world's only black billionare. Due to all this, Winfrey has been dubbed the world's most influential woman.

 Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (1982)

More commonly known as Kate Middleton, this average commoner enchanted the whole world when she married Prince William. The engagement made people everywhere fall in love with fairytales once more. Middleton reinstigated the belief that classy is stylish. Her mannerisms and conservative nature charmed the world, and is said to have caused an effect on young girls everywhere. Revealing clothing was out, conservative clothing was in. This fashion phenomenom was dubbd "The Kate Effect" in Europe.

Lady Gaga (1986)

Also known as Stephani Germanotta, Lady Gaga is a singer and songwriter from New York City. Gaga states that she did not come from a wealthy household, and her family had to work for everything. She was first founded by R&B singer Akon, who helped her release her current three albums, a numerous number one hits. Gaga is most well known for the huge change she brought to the music industry- to her, it was not just a song, but an act. Gaga does not go anywhere without a costume, a prop, and a story. Her shows remind audience members of a circus. On top of altering the music industry, Gaga is a philanthropist who actively pushes for gay rights, and end to HIV/AID's, and owns an organization to stop bullying.