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Images of America: California
Rosie the Riveter in Long Beach
During World War II, an unprecedented number of women
took jobs at aircraft plants, shipyards, munitions factories, and other concerns across the nation to produce material essential to winning the war. Affectionately and collectively called aRosie the Rivetera after a popular 1943 song, thousands of these women came to the U.S. Armyafinanced Douglas Aircraft Plant in Long Beach, the largest wartime plane manufacturer, to help produce an astonishing number of the aircraft used in the war. They riveted, welded, assembled, and installed, doing man-sized jobs, making attack bombers, other war birds, and cargo transports. They trained at Long Beach City Schools and worked 8 and 10 hour shifts in a windowless, bomb-proof plant. Their children attended Long Beach Day Nursery, and their households ran on rations and victory gardens. When the men came home after the war ended, most of these resilient women lost their jobs.
took jobs at aircraft plants, shipyards, munitions factories, and other concerns across the nation to produce material essential to winning the war. Affectionately and collectively called aRosie the Rivetera after a popular 1943 song, thousands of these women came to the U.S. Armyafinanced Douglas Aircraft Plant in Long Beach, the largest wartime plane manufacturer, to help produce an astonishing number of the aircraft used in the war. They riveted, welded, assembled, and installed, doing man-sized jobs, making attack bombers, other war birds, and cargo transports. They trained at Long Beach City Schools and worked 8 and 10 hour shifts in a windowless, bomb-proof plant. Their children attended Long Beach Day Nursery, and their households ran on rations and victory gardens. When the men came home after the war ended, most of these resilient women lost their jobs.
- GenresHistory
128 pages, Paperback
First published May 5, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
March 29, 2020
The women who were "Rosies" did a great thing by helping the war effort of WWII, especially the ones who went into factories and did jobs women had never done before, and that were considered "too hard" or "too physical" for women, but I feel so sorry for them that there was still propaganda shoved in their faces about how a woman should look and dress. For example, pages 53-55 of this book show posters and ads instructing women on how to get machine grease out from their nails and hair, how to be an "assembly-line lovely" (Ugh!), how to "stay fresh and clean," and how to not "forego [their] femininity."
Even though they had dirty, grueling jobs, they were still expected to be "ladylike" and beautiful at all times. Ugh! Thanks for doing the hard work supplying the military with machinery; now could you just be pretty while you're doing it? Do a man's job, but DO NOT look like a man. Be pretty and dainty. That's a good girl. *puke*
Even though they had dirty, grueling jobs, they were still expected to be "ladylike" and beautiful at all times. Ugh! Thanks for doing the hard work supplying the military with machinery; now could you just be pretty while you're doing it? Do a man's job, but DO NOT look like a man. Be pretty and dainty. That's a good girl. *puke*
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review