How Did Rosie The Riveter Contribute To The War Effort
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“We Can Do It!” purports a brightly colored World War Two era propaganda poster (Appendix A). Pictured is a gruff looking woman with her hair tied back making a muscle. Rosie the Riveter has become one of the most iconic and best known characters in the United States over the years. Her message of both female empowerment during World War Two held strong during the early 1970s as she became the icon for the feminist movements to come. The reason for this poster’s popularity lies not in Rosie’s physical appeal, her appeal as a mother, or housewife but instead the tangible impact she would have towards society through her contribution towards the war effort. The fact that this image was created in 1943 (STROBEL) should not be overlooked. The war caused a greater need in society for labor resources forcing women for the first time into the workplace.…show more content… The best example of the juxtaposition between the empowered “Rosie” era woman and the more domestic role which women will go on to take is that of Betty Draper (January Jones) from Matthew Weiner’s show “Mad Men”. In Episode 9 “Shoot” from season one, the exemplary image of women’s role in this time period arises in which Betty poses for an advertisement for Coke-a-cola (Appendix B). When compared directly with Rosie the Riveter the difference between these two cultures becomes clear. It is not a matter of the difference in what labor the women can physically do, but rather an issue of which of their traits society views as