Women in Post-World War II America: Portrayals, Stereotypes, and Challenges

Chuhan Fang

doi:10.54254/2753-7064/30/20231118

Research Article

Open access

Published on 17 May 2024

Download pdf

Fang,C. (2024). Women in Post-World War II America: Portrayals, Stereotypes, and Challenges. Communications in Humanities Research,30,1-5.

Export citation

Women in Post-World War II America: Portrayals, Stereotypes, and Challenges

Chuhan Fang *^,1,

¹ Kinglee High School

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

https://doi.org/10.54254/2753-7064/30/20231118

Abstract

This essay examines the portrayal of women in post-World War II America, focusing on the perpetuation of gender stereotypes and challenges faced by women in the era. Through historical and visual analysis of primary sources, namely a Coca-Cola poster and the iconic V-J Day in Times Square photograph, the study reveals the complexities underlying societal attitudes towards women during this transformative period. The Coca-Cola poster exemplifies the idealized image of women as submissive caregivers, despite their growing role in the workforce. Similarly, the analysis of the V-J Day photograph unveils the contrast between the perceived romance and the reality of non-consensual interaction, shedding light on the evolving understanding of consent and the limitations of prevailing gender norms. By juxtaposing historical context and visual representation, this research underscores the nuanced interplay between media imagery and the evolving societal roles of women in post-war America. The study contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the challenges and representations women faced in shaping the post-war landscape.

Keywords

Gender Norms, Visual Culture, Post-World War II

View pdf

References

[1]. “Post World War II: 1946-1970,” Striking Women, accessed July 24, 2023, https://www.striking-women.org/module/women-and-work/post-world-war-ii-1946-1970.

[2]. “Post World War II: 1946-1970,” Striking Women. “Women in the 1950s,” Khan Academy, accessed July 24, 2023, https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/postwarera/1950s-america/a/women-in-the-1950s.

[3]. “Women and Work After World War II,” American Experience, PBS, accessed July 24, 2023, https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/tupperware-work/.

[4]. Bridget O’Keefe, “Happiness, Womanhood, and Sexualized Media: An Analysis of 1950s and 1960s Popular Culture,” New Errands: The Undergraduate Journal of American Studies 2, no. 1 (Fall 2014), https://journals.psu.edu/ne/article/view/59261.

[5]. Coca-Cola Company, “He’s Coming Home Tomorrow,” poster, 1944, https://www.pinterest.com/pin/223983781441271694/

[6]. The GI Bill is a law that provides various benefits to veterans of World War 2 and other wars. “The Baby Boom,” Khan Academy, accessed July 24, 2023, https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/postwarera/postwar-era/a/the-baby-boom.

[7]. Alfred Eisenstaedt, “V-J Day in Times Square,” photograph, Time, August 27, 1945, 27, https://time.com/4486812/wwii-kiss-photo-vj-day/.

[8]. “The Kiss,” Time, August 27, 1945, 27

[9]. Lawrence Verria and George Galdorisi, “The Story Behind the Famous Kiss,” Naval History Magazine 26, no. 4 (July 2012), https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2012/july/story-behind-famous-kiss.

[10]. “The Kiss,” 27.

[11]. Kimble James C. and Tammy A. Plummer, “WWII’s most iconic kiss wasn’t romantic. It was assault.,” Washington Post, February 22, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/02/22/wwiis-most-iconic-kiss-wasnt-romantic-it-was-assault/.

Cite this article

Fang,C. (2024). Women in Post-World War II America: Portrayals, Stereotypes, and Challenges. Communications in Humanities Research,30,1-5.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.

Disclaimer/Publisher's Note

The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s). EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.

About volume

Volume title: Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Interdisciplinary Humanities and Communication Studies

Conference website: https://www.icihcs.org/

ISBN：978-1-83558-387-6(Print) / 978-1-83558-388-3(Online)

Conference date: 15 November 2023

Editor：Javier Cifuentes-Faura, Enrique Mallen

Series: Communications in Humanities Research

Volume number: Vol.30

ISSN：2753-7064(Print) / 2753-7072(Online)

© 2024 by the author(s). Licensee EWA Publishing, Oxford, UK. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. Authors who publish this series agree to the following terms:
1. Authors retain copyright and grant the series right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this series.
2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the series's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this series.
3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See Open access policy for details).