The iconic "We Can Do It" poster, by J. Howard Miller (pictured right), was the first of the "Rosie" series to emerge in early 1942 (Rosie The Riveter). It depicts a white woman flexing her muscle, and representing women working in industrial jobs during the war. In February 1942, Redd Evans and John Jacob Loeb wrote a song entitled "Rosie The Riveter" (Colman 15). Norman Rockwell got his inspiration for his painting (pictured left) from lines like "Rosie buys a lot of war bonds, that girl really has sense, wishes she could purchase more bonds, putting all her cash into national defense" (Perkins). His painting shows a more masculine woman holding a riveting gun on her lunch break. "Rosie the Riveter" symbolized to America the effort of all women workers toward winning the war. Before the war, women were less than 1% of the wage earners in the shipping industry (Miller). During the war, the term "Rosie" was used to refer to all women who worked in defense industries, not just riveters …show more content…
These women were no longer thought of as just housewives, but were seen as capable of “men’s” work. WACs, WASPs, and Rosie the Riveters proved that they were capable and reliable. The Rosie the Riveters helped the United States defeat the Axis Powers in World War II by producing tanks, guns, artillery pieces, warships, and ammunition. In addition, WACs and WASPs assumed noncombat jobs and freed men for combat overseas. These women were not confined to traditional roles but, instead, created new paths for women to follow. Furthermore, these women became resourceful and self-sufficient (Lockhart,