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Her name was Rosie the Riveter and we found some fascinating background material on her in Yahoo!'s Military History > World War II > Women category. As millions of young men went off to war in 1942, a huge demand for new workers inspired the government to introduce Rosie the Riveter, based on a popular Norman Rockwell painting of the time. The image of Rosie was just one of many propaganda posters circulated during World War II. However, unlike others, which often depicted women as homemakers
or passive supporters of the war effort, the Rosie poster depicted a "woman of action, unafraid of a challenge... symbolically showing her strength by flexing her muscle." Urging women to "do the job he left behind," Rosie encouraged women to trade their more tradional roles in favor of work in defense plants, machine shops, and corporate offices. As the popular tune went, All the day long,
Whether rain or shine,
She's a part of the assembly line.
She's making history,
Working for victory,
Rosie the Riveter. For the first time, a large segment of the American female population became financially independent. Alas, it was not to last. The
war ended, the men came back to the offices and factories, and the women were politely but firmly asked to return home and raise the infant baby boomers. Still, the popularity of Rosie never really died; she made a comeback during the 1970s and today continues to endure as a symbol of the contribution made by many American women to the defense of their country.
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