My initial goal in creating this archive was to create a timeline of images inspired by Rosie the Riveter, in order to reflect on the different ways that this World War II icon has been used. I knew that Rosie the Riveter had been featured on a 2011 edition of the Scripps College Magazine, and I hoped to trace the image backwards from this point in time. However, as I started researching more intensely, I found that the poster was only rediscovered in the 1970s, and used in the women’s movement at the time. I looked in many libraries and online databases to find any images from this time period, but nothing showed up. I kept looking for images, but most of the ones that I was able to find were images from the past five years. I gradually began asking myself if I was looking for a timeline, when perhaps there was none. I then decided to frame my project asking why the Rosie the Riveter icon has made such a comeback in the past five years, and what this means. Throughout my research, I constantly found an interesting balance between femininity and strength. I created two paths to also highlight the different interpretations of Rosie the Riveter. I believe comparing the two paths provides valuable insight for past, as well as modern, interpretations of what a woman should be.

An interesting quote I found, that I believe is an important commentary to take away from my archive, is: “In contrast, today’s movement for feminist social change has had a relatively smaller impact on the media. Despite some progress, particularly in women’s magazines, there are fewer positive images of women in nontraditional or professional roles than there were during the war” (Honey 211). I also find it interesting to ask: has Rosie the Riveter become the only way that women, or other groups, can represent themselves as being strong, independent leaders? Is Rosie the Riveter helping lead to social or political change? Or is the use of Rosie the Riveter inhibiting any real change by allowing for such movements to be represented by the same figure? Will we ever go beyond Rosie the Riveter? Furthermore, I am curious: if Rosie the Riveter is inspiring to so many different, distinct movements now, will she eventually lose meaning? I hope my viewers will leave the archive asking more questions, and start to critically look at modern perspectives on what it means to be a women, and modern portrayals of women in the media.

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