Ah, yes. Fake news. While this
tweet from our President does not really have anything to do with the women’s
movement, per say, I think it is a nice segue into my next topic: the role of
media in the women’s movement. I find the media to be incredibly important,
especially in politics. It holds our government accountable and lets the
average citizen what’s going on. Sure, we may chose to watch Fox or MSNBC and
get a more biased version of the news, but I like to think that even that is
better than complete ignorance. Not only does the media show what our
government is doing, it also updates the public as to what is going on within
the country. That being said, the media can play an important role in social
movements. If the media chooses to not report on a particular movement, how
will word get out? Sure, it may be simple enough to gain local recognition but
if your movement is searching for widespread change then you need the press on
your side and you need to be reported on.
I want to look at a certain form of
media: political cartoons. Political cartoons have always been one of my favorite form
of media, especially considering political matters. Politics in the media can
get so… hairy. Cartoons keeps it simple and to the point, while oftentimes
making a very big statement.
Kenneth Chamberlain published this
political cartoon in 1917, just three years before women got the right to vote.
I love this. It depicts a woman (perhaps Lady Liberty) making a stance in that
she will no longer be obedient. The list shows all the fields that women are capable of being in. She can do anything that a man can do,
and she demands equal rights. This is very tastefully done political cartoon. It’s
hard to see a cartoon like this and think of it as a bad message. If you do see
it that way… you might be a misogynist.
This next
political cartoon gets me... fired up, for lack of a better phrase. Thomas Fleming published this cartoon, and
although I could not find the date, it is apparent that was either in 1920 or
close to. It was done over the same issue as the previous cartoon, obviously,
but with a much different stance. This cartoon very blatantly makes the point
that a woman having the right to vote is a very bad thing. On one hand, you
have the peaceful homemaker raising her daughter. On the other hand,
you have a radical suffragette who is screaming and haggard looking and lives
on the street! Please, men, you cannot let this happen to women! This cartoon
makes a slightly more radical message: do not let women vote, or else they will
end up like the woman on the right.
Rosie the
Riveter is perhaps one of the most iconic political cartoons of all time. I
suppose that technically it was more of
a government campaign to get women to work during World War II, but it has
since become an image of female empowerment. As World War II waged on, more and
more women left the home to work. In fact, by 1945 one in four women were in the work force. Unfortunately, women
only made about half of what their male counterparts made. This is
unacceptable, of course, and with today’s female workforce only being paid
about three-fourths of what men are paid in equal jobs, there are still
improvements to be made. However, the amount of women who went to work during
World War II was impressive and commendable. They did not only work in the
factories; in fact, some were officers and some were even pilots. At this
point, women seem to have come a long way since only being able to vote 25
years prior. The Rosie the Riveter image is powerful and inspiring. “We can do
it!”
This next cartoon is more recent,
showing that throughout the years, political cartoons still carry a powerful
message and are a good example of the use of media in the women’s movement.
This cartoon shows how difficult it is to be a woman in a man’s world,
essentially. This woman, along with her young child, simply wants to have a
“really good career”. However, she is a square peg trying to fit into a round
hole. The “really good careers” are only open to men, and they are definitely
not open to a woman with a child. Employers can claim to be equal opportunity,
but until their actions meet their words, it’s all for show, as this woman in
this cartoon is finding out.
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