How Did Rosie The Riveter Influence The Women's Rights Movement

This campaign marked the first time women at a rate this high came together to join something like the workforce. The development of working women was excellent, but it was certainly not the only result of the Rosie campaign. When finally given the confidence to work like their husbands or fathers did, women felt united with not only other women, but all of society. Flavia Di Consiglio, journalist for the BBC, writes that Rosie the Riveter propaganda was “likely intended to encourage acceptance of women in a traditionally male-dominated workplace”, but also “went on to gain greater meaning.” This campaign was one of the first to help accept and normalize women getting out of their homes and working a man’s job, especially in the workforce.

Rosie the Riveter had people talking in the 1940’s and continues to do so in the 21st century. “Rosie the Riveter marked a revolution for women across the nation. Over the years, ‘Rosies’ became the typical working woman in American society… ‘Rosie the Riveter’ will always be an influential American icon.” Rosie the Riveter is timeless and will always be referred to or used to inspire women’s rights movements, whether it be just wearing a costume to look like her, or spreading the message of “We Can Do It!”. Encyclopaedia Britannica defines “Rosie the Riveter” as both “media icon associated with female defense workers during World War II” and “a symbol for women in the workforce and for women’s independence.” Rosie not only stood for women in the workforce in the 1940’s, but she also stands for women independence in any decade. “From a twenty-first century vantage point, the current generation can look back over the decades and see how intimately connected the changes in the American society have been with the events unfolding on the world stage…” The campaign resonated with many people, and still does. People from all generations can look back at the Rosie the Riveter campaign and be inspired by the amount of change it has

Other than Rosie, there is no other visual figure to connect to women’s rights. This campaign has been the model for movements and people’s lives in general. Katherine Manuel, senior vice president of innovation at Thomson Reuters, suggests we “bring back Rosie and let her modern-day version inspire children, parents, educators, corporations, and governments around the world to make a positive contribution to society.” A modern-day Rosie inspires all audiences, just like the original. Not only is Rosie an inspiration for protests and rallies, she is also a role model for young women. From a young age, Rosie teaches females that if they believe they can do it, they can. Manuel goes deeper into Rosie’s significance when stating that “the campaign’s brilliance lay in seeking to fill necessary jobs to build national strength and eventual prosperity… it also embedded a confidence and educational support for women to thrive and deliver.” The original Rosie the Riveter did not just inspire women from the 1940’s to join World War II, it also still inspires many women today to have confidence in achieving anything they set their minds to. In the years following World War II, Rosie the Riveter never faded in popularity, if anything she became more widely known and appreciated. “In the 1980’s the ‘We Can Do It!’ poster was adopted by the Feminist Movement… The poster began appearing on