1950’s Housewife by Samantha Bischoff

1950’s Housewife by Samantha Bischoff https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p en-us 2023-03-22 17:34:41 UTC 2023-05-22 16:41:31 UTC hello@padlet.com bischs0343 https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2562245021 “Typists transcribe dictation in a government office staffed entirely by women. Most working women during the war and in the following decade held clerical and other nonprofessional jobs.” 55]]> 2023-04-20 18:02:09 UTC https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2562245021 bischs0343 https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2562259738 Women in the 1950’s share their experiences on how they felt being a housewife and how their mental health was impacted.]]> 2023-04-20 18:15:26 UTC https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2562259738 bischs0343 https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2562284212 The daily duties that women were to complete while the husband was at work. Many of the tasks that women did was to please the husband when he came home from work. ]]> 2023-04-20 18:37:16 UTC https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2562284212 hainse0442 https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2562494148 “‘Don’t disturb his belongings. Don’t open his wallet or read his mail without his approval. Don’t read over his shoulder, either’” (Qtd. in Gidgets and Women Warriors, 31).]]> 2023-04-20 23:45:44 UTC https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2562494148 #ILOVELUCY hainse0442 https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2562511600 This is a picture from the sitcom I Love Lucy made in the 1950s that shows an American housewife going against the normal standards (Gourley 52).]]> 2023-04-21 00:08:43 UTC https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2562511600 hainse0442 https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2562527627

Doctor visits were taken by many women complaining about being anxious

Biggest problems that were told by women was being tired and having pain

The housewives were comparing themselves to women on television (asking themselves why ain’t I like them)

]]> 2023-04-21 00:26:09 UTC https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2562527627 “The problem without a name” hainse0442 https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2562540562 “Some felt angry for no apparent reason. Others felt like crying, but they didn’t understand what was making them so sad” (Gourley 58).

This explains that back in the 1950s people didn’t really understand what was going on with their emotions and would even blame their emotions on other things such as low iron.]]> 2023-04-21 00:37:17 UTC https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2562540562 hainse0442 https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2564789755 All I’d heard about, really, was how fine and clean Buddy was and how he was the kind of person a girl should stay fine and clean for (Plath 68).

This quote explains that Buddy was a good man and should have the expectations that a girl should never do anything wrong and practically be a perfect housewife.

]]> 2023-04-23 19:49:22 UTC https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2564789755 hainse0442 https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2564856506 He was always saying how his mother said, “what a man wants is a mate and what a woman wants is infinite security,” and, “What a man is is an an arrow into the future and what a women is is the place the arrow shoots off from,” until I’m tired (Plath 72).

Buddy’s mother is saying that men are the future and women are kinda just there for the husband for support.

]]> 2023-04-23 22:46:31 UTC https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2564856506 hainse0442 https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2564862382 The trouble was, I hated the idea of serving men in any way. I wanted to dictate my own thrilling letters.

Esther doesn’t wanna live up to fulfill the expectations of a housewife, but instead doesn’t wanna be told what to do by a man and do what she wants.

]]> 2023-04-23 23:02:34 UTC https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2564862382 #hidden hainse0442 https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2564863767 “‘I was a closet worker. Nobody knew for years that I had a job”’ (Qtd. in Gadgets and Women Warriors 54).]]> 2023-04-23 23:06:06 UTC https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2564863767 hainse0442 https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2564879583 A 1950s ad in one of the magazines from the time period.]]> 2023-04-23 23:38:08 UTC https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2564879583 bischs0343 https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565017408 "This hotel-the Amazon- was for women only, and they were mostly girls my age with wealthy parents who wanted to be sure their daughters would be living where men couldn't get at them and deceive them; and they were all going to pash secretarial schools like Katy Gibbs, where they had to wear hats and stockings and gloves to class, or they had just graduated from places like Katy Gibbs and were secretaries to executives and junior executives and simply hanging around in New York waiting to get married to some career man or other." (Plath 4)

Many women's parents weren't ready for them to be married and sent them to college to go to work, but the daughters wanted to be married. They wanted to settle down and be a house wife and not to be in the new normal of women working.

]]> 2023-04-24 02:16:36 UTC https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565017408 bischs0343 https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565685391 “It’s not that we hadn’t enough to eat at home, it’s just that my grandmother always cooked economy joints and economy meat loaf’s and had the habit of saying, ‘I hope you enjoy that, it cost forty-one cents a pound,’ which always made me feel I was somehow eating pennies instead of Sunday roast”(Plath 26).

Women in the 1950’s were supposed to be slim and proper. By eating too much many women were judged. It was women’s responsibility to cook and clean for the husband, with making sure he was satisfied with her cleaning, cooking, and the way she looked.

]]> 2023-04-24 13:17:34 UTC https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565685391 bischs0343 https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565718502 “Buddy wrote that he was probably falling in love with a nurse who also had TB, but his mother had rented a cottage in the Adirondacks fir the month of July, and if I came along with her, he might well find his feeling for the nurse was a mere infatuation” (Plath 119).

Ester wasn’t going to fall into the trap that Buddy wanted her to do to become his wife to stay at home with their kids. She did not like the fact of being manipulated by a man and she did not like the fact that Buddy wanted her to be a housewife.

]]> 2023-04-24 13:37:54 UTC https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565718502 bischs0343 https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565733206 “Alice Leopoldo became director of the Women’s Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor in 1953. She proclaimed, “Women are becoming increasingly important in the development of our country’s industry, in scientific research, in the education field, and in the social sciences.”]]> 2023-04-24 13:46:55 UTC https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565733206 bischs0343 https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565755988 Many women wore shirtwaist dresses, with an apron, small high heeled shoes, and with her hair in what was called a poodle up duo. When women were cleaning the house they wore a scarf over her hair to protect the curls, this was done when dusting or other dirty cleaning activities.]]> 2023-04-24 14:01:24 UTC https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565755988 hainse0442 https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565824701 “‘The function of daytime TV… is neither to entertain nor to instruct. It is to provide pleasant background babble-rather like an indoor waterfall-while the American housewife goes about her chores”’ (Qtd. in Gidgets and Women Warriors, 42).]]> 2023-04-24 14:43:02 UTC https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565824701 bischs0343 https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565834740 Make up was worn to bring more definition to the eyes and to preserve the natural beauty. Only one shade of eyeshadow was worn on the eyes. Every aspect of a woman’s make up was to add definition to the eyes.]]> 2023-04-24 14:49:04 UTC https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565834740 #fantasy hainse0442 https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565854739

TV made it easy to set expectations to what the average American family should look like

TV shows/sitcoms hardly showed how it actually was in a household

]]> 2023-04-24 15:01:50 UTC https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565854739 #happymarriage bischs0343 https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565865984 It was the women’s job to keep the marriage happy and to prevent divorce. Many women were encouraged to take marriage as a career. Women were also a factor in her husband’s career. Women were often blamed for being with a man that was not successful at his job. ]]> 2023-04-24 15:09:21 UTC https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565865984 Check this book out! hainse0442 https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565871668 If someone is looking to learn more about the mental health of the housewife in the 1950s the book the Feminine Mystique shares amazing facts and stories restarting the mental health of the housewife’s.

Wether women agreed or disagreed with the Feminine Mystique, the book shattered the image of the happy housewife (Gourley 61).

]]> 2023-04-24 15:13:23 UTC https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565871668 #women’scalling bischs0343 https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565882955 Women were considered for their highest calling was for homemaking, raising children, and to serve her husband. Along with doing all the cleaning, cooking, and caring for the children and husband, she was supposed to remain proper and have hair and makeup remain attractive.]]> 2023-04-24 15:21:11 UTC https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565882955 #Inventors hainse0442 https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565884324

Many women in their spare time would come up with products in their home

When their was no one home the housewife would get lonely, so they would start inventing

Invention examples included handbags, diapers, catalogs, and etc

]]> 2023-04-24 15:22:00 UTC https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565884324 hainse0442 https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565888351 A working wife was an embarrassing commentary on her husband’s earning power (Gourley 54).

Explains that the husband had the expectation that he would be sole provider for the family.

]]> 2023-04-24 15:24:28 UTC https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565888351 hainse0442 https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565890634 “Marion Donovan’s disposable diaper cover was made of nylon parachute cloth and featured metal and plastic snaps. It launched at Saks Fifth Avenue in 1949 and was immediately successful” (Gourley 57).]]> 2023-04-24 15:25:58 UTC https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565890634 #freedom bischs0343 https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565895357 During the war women starting working to provide for the war and its efforts. Women enjoyed the freedom they felt. They had the chance to make money at a well paying job along with demonstrating their abilities.]]> 2023-04-24 15:29:04 UTC https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565895357 bischs0343 https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565965292 Here is a video to check out on how to prepare yourself for the day in the 1950’s. This video will show how women dressed and how they did their makeup and hair.]]> 2023-04-24 16:18:01 UTC https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565965292 hainse0442 https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565965648 “It reflects an idealized view of families. A beautifully dressed, well made-up TV mother always did her housework in a pretty dress and high heels” (Gourley 50).

From the TV show Father Knows Best]]> 2023-04-24 16:18:17 UTC https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565965648 hainse0442 https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565974396 “The wife’s duty was to build the man’s, self-esteem by making him feel smart and important” (Gourley 31).]]> 2023-04-24 16:24:32 UTC https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565974396 bischs0343 https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565975389 Check out this video of the expectations the husband required from the wife. This video shows the how the wife would have to go along with with whatever the husband wanted to do.]]> 2023-04-24 16:25:14 UTC https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565975389 Three Film Stereotypes hainse0442 https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565982587 On screen women would portray one of 3 stereotypes (Gourley 40):

The Glamorous woman: she knows her fashion, but may be a little dumb
The virtuous woman: she’s is pretty but not as much as the glamorous woman. She is much smarter too
The almost-independent woman: she is successful and pretty but is not as smart as in the love area

]]> 2023-04-24 16:30:32 UTC https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565982587 hainse0442 https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565987609 “Images of femininity offered to the young girls of the 1950s were cited conflicting. The sexy, frilly prom dress quickly switched to a practical, frilly apron once the goal of marriage was achieved” (Gourley 18).]]> 2023-04-24 16:34:12 UTC https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565987609 bischs0343 https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565992579 “These publicity measures met with only partial success amid public sentiment suspicious of women in nontraditional roles. In fact, rumors about the supposedly promiscuous sexual behavior and scandalous drunkenness of female recruits were so widespread that the armed forces had to refute the charges publicly” (May 43).

In women's eyes working was a good thing and could show how they preformed and their abilities to be seen. The rest of the public did not see it this way. Most people thought the opposite of women in the workforce.

]]> 2023-04-24 16:37:36 UTC https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2565992579 bischs0343 https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2566014955 2023-04-24 16:53:38 UTC https://padlet.com/bischs0343/h9yn7q764t582m0p/wish/2566014955