Inspirational Spotlight: Rosie the Riveter

My mother, a middle school social studies and English teacher, is frequently shocked by my lack of knowledge about basic grammar and history. "Really? You don't know about such and such... really?" [Implicit eye roll, my students even know that one...] I believe the last time this EXACT conversation happened it was about the Dust Bowl. Mom 1, Nicky 0.

Today I was reading a post from Made You Look, it was this image of the Gilmore Girls star Alexis Bledel, from Glamour magazine.
So, I realized I knew Alexis Bledel, but I didn't know the history behind the image this photograph is copying. I've of course seen it, and I am aware of the feminist connotation and could probably guess the decade of the image, but where it came from was beyond me.

Another 0 for me. So I decided to look this one up. Better late than never right? You learn something new every day.

From Wikipedia:

Rosie the Riveter is a cultural icon of the United States, representing the American women who worked in war factories during World War II,^[1][2] many of whom worked in the manufacturing plants that produced munitions and materiel. These women took new jobs and sometimes the places of the male workers who were in the military. The character is now considered a feminist icon in the US, and a herald of women's economic power to come.

The real Rosie:

Rosie the Riveter was most closely associated with a real woman, Rose Will Monroe, who was born in Pulaski County, Kentucky^[3][4][5] in 1920 and moved to Michigan during World War II. She worked as a riveter at the Willow Run Aircraft Factory in Ypsilanti, Michigan, building B-29 and B-24 bombers for the U.S. Army Air Forces.

The image

The image most iconically associated with Rosie is J. Howard Miller's famous poster for Westinghouse, entitled We Can Do It!, which was modeled on Michigan factory worker Geraldine Doyle in 1942. While the poster appeared before the Rosie term became popular, the poster itself became emblematic of Rosie.^[2]

There is a Rosie the Riveter Trust, including a World War II / National Home Front Historical Park in Cali, and their site has lots of information. Check it out.