Rosie The Riveter Thesis

Rosie the Riveter sparked a cultural phenomenon that changed America’s history, which transformed the idea of the American woman. Historically, Rosie the Riveter was not just one woman, and she was not employed as a riveter. A riveter is someone whose job it was to rivet and a rivet is a tool that helps secure things together (Rivet). Rosie the Riveter surged to fame during the late 1940’s while America was engaged in the Second World War. During this time, the majority of America’s men were off fighting in the war; therefore, the government called women to enter the workforce to keep the economy stable which helped assist in America’s war efforts. John Howard Miller, an artist hired by the War Production Company, in conjunction with the Westinghouse

Miller’s target audience was young American women, for they were a necessity on the homefront during the war. Rosie the Riveter was designed specifically to entice women; thus, this strategy worked because women felt obligated to help their beloved men and country. Rosie the Riveter was able to resonate with all women because she embodied the American dream: to be employed. John Miller along with the War Production Coordinating Committee wanted Rosie the Riveter to be highly credible among young women. The government, particularly the War Production Coordinating Committee was also credible. It’s name is stamped on the bottom of Rosie’s image. The committee was a credible source; they were responsible for the war efforts and showed progressive achievements during the war. Rosie’s image became monumental during the ad campaign, in addition to the white fluorescent words “We Can Do It” displayed above Rosie. Those four words displayed on the image carried a powerful underlying message within them. The logical message was to let women know that even women can enter into the workplace which was seen as taboo during this time period. If women did not work then logically no one would have been able to work. The phrase “We Can Do It” inspired women to enter in the workforce alongside other women and this

In addition to conveying the message of entering the workforce to women, Miller expressed another message that concentrated on femininity. John Miller illustrated Rosie as more feminine than the previous Rosie the Riveter created by Norman Rockwell. Rockwell’s Rosie was more masculine than Miller’s with more muscular features. As I compared and contrasted both Rockwell’s and Miller’s images, I wondered why Miller made his more feminine in comparison. Miller constructed Rosie to appeal to all women who did not consider themselves masculine. For Rockwell I assume that his Rosie was intended to be a work of art reflecting American culture unlike Miller’s which was a propaganda strategy. John Miller’s Rosie was feminine, attractive to the eye, and dolled up in makeup. Not a hair was out of place or one single wrinkle on the face of Miller’s Rosie; as a result, women around America wanted to be just like her. Rosie was created to be a beautiful hard working woman, and this caused women to take on the persona of Rosie the Riveter. With this in mind, I do not believe that the way Rosie was made to look was a mere coincidence. Rosie’s red and white polka dot headscarf symbolized her housewife origin along with her blue collar work shirt with the words “Westinghouse