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Analysis Of Rosie The Riveter

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Rosie the Riveter In order to get more women to join the workforce during World War II, the government used a variety of tactics to motivate them. Propaganda posters of a character named Rosie the Riveter was one of the most successful ways. Rosie the Riveter represented all the women who worked in defense industries, in factories and shipyards, to fill the positions of men who were fighting in the war. Rosie the Riveter was used as an effective tool for propaganda to get women into the workforce. Yet, despite the fact that millions of women proved themselves to be good workers, Rosie disappeared when the war ended, proving that she was regarded as purely a recruitment aid by the government who never really wanted women in the workforce.
Out of the six million women who joined the workforce, half worked in defense industries. These women were all referred to as “Rosies.” Some of the most significant Rosies were what inspired the creation of the strong Rosie the Riveter character. One of these significant Rosies was Rose Bonavita who worked as a riveter at the General Motors Eastern Aircraft Division in New York. She is known for setting a production record by drilling 900 holes and driving 300 rivets in a torpedo bomber in one six-hour shift. Rosalind P. Walter was also a riveter, who was the inspiration of the song “Rosie the Riveter” that was written in 1942 and became very popular (Strobel). The first image of Rosie the Riveter was created in 1943 by Norman Rockwell. Mary Keefe, the model, was actually not a riveter, but a dental hygienist. Norman’s image was speculative and was based on Michelangelo’s Isaiah from the Sistine Chapel. The actual image is of a muscular Rosie who is taking a lunch break which appeared on the cover of the Memorial Day issue of the Saturday Evening Post (Strobel). Geraldine Hoff Doyle is probably the most well known faces out of all the Rosies because she was the model for the We Can Do It! poster. During her one week as a metal presser in a defense factory in Michigan, she was photographed by an unknown journalist. J. Howard Miller, a graphic artist, turned this photo into the famous We Can Do It! poster for the Westinghouse Electric Company in 1942. The shop poster was

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