"You've Come a Long Way Baby": The Women's Movement, the Mass Media and the Rise of the Superwoman
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Authors
Trimble, Lauren
Issue Date
2007
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
During the height of the feminist movement, from the mid to early 1970' s,
films, television and literature altered their portrayal of women to include the
liberated woman: the woman who demanded a wider range of experiences than
that of mother and wife. She was opinionated, educated and overtly sexual, a far
cry from the composed, well-coiffed lady of the early 1960's and 50's. Yet, certain
feminine ideals remained, just as the theme song to Alice illustrates. The song
immediately refers to her appearance. Because of her "fresh, freckled face,"
Alice's struggle to live on her own is charming instead of depressing. Although
the movement called for a lessened emphasis on female appearance, something
powerful enough to change fashion, beauty remained important. What it meant
to be a woman in the 1960's changed dramatically; women consciously searched
for themselves outside of traditional bounds. Yet, as a testament to the rapid
change wrought by the movement, many of the trappings of traditional femininity
remained. A female television character could be a single mom and blatantly
reject traditional gender roles in order to find herself, but she had to be attractive
and non-threatening while doing so.
Description
ii, 76 p.
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License
U.S. copyright laws protect this material. Commercial use or distribution of this material is not permitted without prior written permission of the copyright holder. All rights reserved.