Lessons from the 1940s Woman
Friday, February 19, 2010 by Sarah Sundin
US poster by J. Howard Miller, 1943
Rosie the Riveter is the icon of World War II women – strong but feminine. She’s got biceps, but she curls her hair and does her nails. She can do a man’s work, and don’t you dare tell her she can’t. She is woman; hear her riveting gun.
Today I’m starting a series of posts on lessons we can learn from the women of the 1940s.
The World War II time period was a pivotal time for women, a hinge between the traditional home-based women’s role and the modern career-based role. Wartime posters show the fullness of a woman’s place in society and reveal the values that drove this generation to victory.
Through these posters we’ll see lessons we can learn from women of that era: be involved, be productive, be thrifty, be supportive, love your family and home, and have faith.
What do you admire about women from the 1940s?
Hmm, that’s a tough call to narrow down. 🙂 I’ve always loved the WW2 time period – the history, the music, the films, the values. I think one of the things I appreciate most about women from the 1940s is the balance of grace and strength they had to have to get through those tough war years.
I feel that the role women played in producing war materiel was an expression of the divinely ordained “helpmeet” role, appropriate to the situation. Being a helpmeet doesn’t usually involve riveting sheet metal and building bombs, but it can. The fact that these women rose to the call shows flexibility, dedication, and is an expression of the true warrior spirit.
I’m very excited to read the upcoming blogs!
Awesome! I’m looking forward to it. I admire so much about the women of the 1940’s that there too many things to list.
Thanks, you guys!
Ruth – strength & grace – I think you nailed it!
I’ll be posting MWF the next 2 weeks…unless I get further inspiration.