History, Bitches: Making History, Working for Victory

Monday, September 2, 2013

Making History, Working for Victory

Happy Labor Day, Bitches!

Inspired by i09’s post, “SciFi and Fantasy Ladies Pose as Rosie the Riveter for Labor Day,” I decided to write a quick post about the celebrated World War II and feminist icon.

So, here are some of the 5 best facts I discovered about Rosie:

1. The Rosie the Riveter character first appeared in a song by Redd Evans and John Jacob Loeb, circa 1942. Here’s a sampling of the lyrics:

All the day long,
Whether rain or shine,
She's a part of the assembly line. She's making history,
Working for victory,
Rosie the Riveter.
Keeps a sharp lookout for sabotage,
Sitting up there on the fuselage.
That little girl will do more than a male will do.

2. The U.S. Government’s campaign to bring women into the labor force targeted housewives; one advertisement said, “Can you use an electric mixer? If so, you can learn to operate a drill.” But don’t forget how that KitchenAid works. After the war, ladies were expected to return home...where they belonged (insert bitch-face here).

3. Rosie motivated countless women to assume jobs vacated by servicemen. From 1940 to 1945, the percentage of American women employed outside the home rose from 27% to almost 37%. The majority worked for aircraft and munitions companies.

4. On May 29, 1943, Norman Rockwell’s illustration of Rosie the Riveter made the cover of the Saturday Evening Post. Nineteen year-old Mary Doyle, a telephone operator, served as his model. The image was so popular, the U.S. Treasury Department employed it for war bond drives.

5. J. Howard Miller’s “We Can Do It!” poster is not Rosie the Riveter. It was commissioned by Westinghouse Electric Company for the war effort, circa 1942. Factory worker Geraldine Hoff, age 17, was the artist’s model. The image only became associated with Rosie in the 1980s to promote feminism.

Check-out these photos of some real-life Rosies (via So Bad So Good).