Gidgets and Women Warriors Perceptions of Women in the 1950s and 1960s

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Who was Gidget and who were the Woman Warriors? They weren't specific individuals, but rather symbols that defined perceptions of women during the 1950s and 1960s. Popular media was doing everything possible to undo the strong, work-oriented Rosie the Riveter image of the 1940s and bring women back into the domestic fold. The young, blonde Gidget image offered young girls a role model for carefree living before they settled down to fulfill their patriotic duty as wives and mothers. Yet many women weren't buying the media images that advised them on how to catch husbands and become dutiful wives and mothers. Instead, they pursued the Woman Warrior persona to emerge as astronauts, peace activists, and women who challenged bigotry and racism. While their 1940s sisters had asked, ?Who am I? Who do I want to become? females of the 50s and 60s began to ask, ?Who are we? What will society allow us to become? Their search for answers to these questions would radically change the American woman's role in society. Learn more about the images and issues that framed perceptions about women in these tumultuous decades.