No. 6 The Women They Are A Changin
Following the Second World War, it seemed life was slowly turning back to normal for many who put much effort into the success of the war. Men went back to their jobs working hard to bring money that put food on the table for the wives and the children. It was presumed that while the men went to work and did their jobs, the wives would sit at home and contemplate all day in the kitchen “What Should I Cook for Dinner?” As we get ready to enter 2008, it is important that we notice the progression and evolution of how the social order of women has changed in time. In the 1950s, instructional videos gave off the impression it was a woman’s job to look after the children, clean the house, and of course make the evening meal, but many years later television has become much more open minded and now shows that women have much more freedom and can do things like get a job, have free speech, and vote while the husbands may be the ones looking after the children and finding out what to cook for dinner. To emphasize my argument, I will use a speech given by Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Committee.
First we must look at an instructional cooking video made in the 1950s that depicts what was expected a married woman.
This video emphasizes the stereotype that women really did not do much during the day other than think about the evening meal. Look at the woman’s bored expression, it is as if there is nothing better she could be doing with her life than thinking about the best kind of food for dinner. Here, television has become representative of the mindset of many americans that women did not really have that much of a purpose or job in life except to make a delicious meal for their wonderful hibbie. She now goes on to trying to bake a chocolate cake, but fails in the end. The video even shows that she did not read the directions right as to why the cake did not bake correctly, given the presumption that women could not even read or that women were ignorant and did not pay attention to much detail. Overall, in looking at this movie, it shows that the American thinking, particularly the male side, truly believed that a woman could not do much other than cook. With African-Americans during the Civil Rights movement demanding equality, it was especially hard for a woman to get the same kind of rights.
Bob Dylan once wrote, “The Times They Are A Changin” and clearly he was right as we look at the roles of women today and see the impact that they give the country. Now that we have observed a woman’s role in the 1950s, let’s look at their roles today with a speech given by Hillary Clinton.
Notice how she has so much confidence in herself, how she is dressed. She is in a pants suit, not a skirt like women in the 50s, her hair is cut short, and while many may agree or disagree with her notice how much she has confidence in what she is saying. She speaks a lot on very political issues saying things like “I’ll End This War.” or “Set a New Course.” Clearly, Hillary Clinton’s intentions on running for president showing that America has realized that women deserve much equality as others do. If Hillary had tried to run for president in the 1950s, she might have been run out of town or put in jail for he thought of it. But her confidence, the way she presents herself, and the cheers she gets from audience has shown that the country has developed tolerance for women having independence and how the country has come a long way since trying to teach women how to properly bake a chocolate cake.
In conclusion, television has indeed played a major role in showing the development of women in the social network. Television has become representative of the American mindset, and shows how America has come a long way in its struggle for civil rights. Today, it shows women doing all sorts of very important things such as being journalists, lawyers, doctors, police, etc. and leading successful lives to improve the country for a greater tomorrow.
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