(Evans 222).
The propaganda campaign used examples like household chores to compare to industrial work so women would feel more comfortable with the jobs they would soon take. The government wanted women to understand that not only would she have an excellent job, but she could also remain feminine as well. The campaign wanted to show women that war workers could be glamorous, and even fashionable still. (Evans 222) This all helped women feel more at ease with working outside the home, and even attractive. Another incentive to taking an industrial job was that this type of employment was like a man's job, for a man's pay. Industrial jobs were also not as difficult as domestic work, which appealed to women. Margarita Salazar McSweyn (a real live "Rosie") said this about working in industrial employment: .
The money was in defense, you made more hours and the more hours you had, the more money you mad. It was exciting being involved. You figured you were doing something for your country and at the same time making money. This gave you the idea that it was the best of both worlds, and in reality it was. (Gluck 71).
Rosie the Riveter was a fictitious heroine who was created by the U.S. government to encourage women to join the workforce during the years of 1941-1945 (Rosie). She is depicted as an attractive, rosy-cheeked woman dressed in work clothes, exposing a flexed bicep. The expression on her face is a confident, and focused gaze, as if to show that she is determined. The caption above her picture reads, "We can do it", or "Do the job he left behind". Those slogans helped define the whole idea of the campaign that was designed to help women join the workforce (Rosie).
Rosie the Riveter was modeled after Rose Monroe, a young widow who pounded rivets in B-24 and B-29 bombers (Homefront 118). Rose was from Ypsilanti, Michigan and embodied the idea of self-reliance. She was one of the millions of women who showed they could wield a wrench, or even a welding torch.
