Rosie the Riveter: Pinup and American Icon

"All the day long,
Whether rain or shine
She’s part of the assembly line.
She’s making history,
Working for victory
Rosie the Riveter"

We took the term "Rosie the Riveter" from the above song by Redd Evans and John Jacob Loeb, and from there we've firmly established Rosie as a generational, gender, and cultural icon. World War II, to put it simply and stupidly, changed more than just the boundaries in Europe. It changed gender boundaries, too. When widespread male enlistment left gaping holes in the industrial labor force, women stepped into mechanical, wrench-wielding, dirty jobs; they made up 65% of the labor in the aircraft industry from 1940-1945. Rosie herself may not have existed as anything more than a propaganda tool. However, real-life Rosie's changed the shape of America -- they proved that not only could a woman do a man's job, but they could do it well. 

The reason why I am talking about this is because Rosie the Riveter was a pinup. Oh, yes, she is now a symbol of female empowerment, but originally she was the creation of some real life Don Draper (on a side note, how yummy is Jon Hamm?) who was working with the government and begrudgingly acknowledged that America needed women to work. The most famous Rosie has her looking tough -- but other adverts are hardly distinguishable from a Vargas girl. The fact that our grandmothers (or great-grandmothers) took up their tools and contributed to the war effort while looking sassy in lipstick and curls is inspirational. If they can do it, why can't we? Brains and beauty! They wouldn't trade in their femininity for anything, not even a little thing like World War 2.

I think it's sad that a decent percentage of the female workforce regards looking good or being feminine as either a detriment or a waste of time. My mother, who I love, is not exactly a glamour goddess. She never was. I didn't learn how to do makeup from her at all -- she's 48 and still asking me for tips. I recall, when I was younger, she worked a job that was very mechanical, assembly-line, in nature. Due to the fact that she 1) managed to shower, 2) wore clothing that was clean and intact, and 3) put on a minimal amount of makeup, quite frequently she would complain about not being treated like she knew what she was doing. And not by the men...but by the women she worked with. We're discriminating against ourselves, ladies! What kind of age is this where, if a woman looks good at the workplace, we try to knock her down? Why do we have to downplay our femininity, even to our own gender, to be taken seriously? And what do we accomplish by tearing each other down for this?

It's time we stepped up our game. There is no shame in looking good at your job, no matter what that job may be. We can be good at our jobs. We can also look good at our jobs. We CAN do it all!

Tomorrow, being on the military tangent (I've been watching too much Captain America -- Hayley Atwell is STUNNING), I hope to talk about the Women's Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPs. I know the acronym has other connotations, but these women not only defied their gender before the war by obtaining a pilots license, but they participated in the war effort the same way the men did and were completely ignored by our government until 1977. 

Recognize this Rosie? It's Marilyn Monroe!

Shiny!

I have nothing to write about today. It's hot, I'm tired, and I'm wearing a corset.

So, here's some old Hollywood pin-ups!

Rita Hayworth, Betty Grable, Marilyn Monroe, Hedy Lamarr

Pin-up Perfection: How to do the Makeup

Despite what many people think, pinup makeup is neither hard to do, nor does it require a lot of makeup if done right. The hair is a different story...but for now we'll work on the makeup.

What you'll need:

• Foundation, preferably matte (Personal preference: Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream)
• Light colored eyeshadow
• Red lipstick, and matching lip-liner
• Blush (Personal Preference: NARS blush in Orgasm)
• Liquid or Gel eyeliner
• Brow Shader (pencil or powder, powder looks better IMHO)
• Loose powder (I'm a fan of Coty's Airspun Face Powder -- easily found at your local drugstore)

Step 1: Your skin. Wash your face, put on moisturizer and primer if you must, then put on your foundation. This isn't that hard. Don't slather it on, just enough to even out your tone and cover any blemishes. If you have anything that can't be covered easily (angry zits, massive under-eye bags) use a concealer first. Think of it as making your face a blank canvas to paint on. Make sure it is blended entirely!

Step 2: Your blush should be done lightly, if at all, highlighting the apples of your cheeks and then sweeping up to show off your cheekbones. Think of making a triangle on your face, with the narrow end being close to your hairline. Again, keep it light or ignore this step entirely. The focal points of this look will be on your eyes and your lips. It is meant to complete the look, but not stand out.

Step 3: Eyeshadow: You will want to go with a pale (white or vanilla) eyeshadow that you simply sweep over your lid. If you must use color, keep it natural and keep it light.

Step 4: The perfect cat-eye. Now, making that cat eye can be hard, especially when using liquid or gel eyeliner, as they require a brush and a bit of drying time. I personally use cheap-o Wet n' Wild waterproof eyeliner. I used it in high school when I was broke and, while I've tried others since, I just like it. To achieve that perfect cat eye, do this:

• Without winging the edge, draw a thin line from the inside corner to the outside corner. I actually go the other way around because it's easier for me. Most instructions I've found say to go from the inside to the outside, making it thicker as you go because it's easier for most. I simply find it easier to go from thick to thin. That's a personal preference: the point is simply to have the outside liner be just a few hairs thicker than the inside.
• Now: the kick. There are a few ways to do this. Some people take their brush and make a tiny line that points from the edge of their eyeliner to the outside point of their eyebrow. Personally, I just extend the liner a little ways out from where I drew it, like the above picture. I do this because, after my lashes are curled and done, the kick then looks like an extension of my eyelashes as opposed to a line on my face.

Step 5: Curl your lashes. Apply mascara. I like mascaras that volumize them. Easy-peasy!

Step 6: Shade in your brows. Most pin-ups have beautiful, arching brows, dark in contrast to the rest of their faces. Do not re-draw your brows. Simply fill them in so that you get the same look. Also, make sure their plucked and neat first (which should be a given).

Step 7: Outline your lips. Now, if you haven't been born with Angelina's or Scarlett's gorgeous pout, fear not. Neither was Marilyn Monroe. No, Ms. Monroe was a guilty as any of today's models and actresses when it came to altering her looks. Here's a before and after:

So, while there's no need to completely re-draw your lips (and it will look silly if you do), if you fudge the lines in your favor, it would be nice. Just remember to keep it symmetrical! Also, lightly fill in the whole lip area with lip-liner. I do this because, in case my lipstick starts to wear off, it's less obvious if I have a good base. Alternately, the step can be skipped if you use any long-lasting lipstick (which I will do, because, face it, red lipstick is a pain).

Step 7: Apply lipstick in the correct area you have made with the lipliner. It's just like a paint-by-numbers you had as a child. Only on your face. If you want more precision, use a brush, as many professional makeup artists do. :)

Finish by LIGHTLY brushing the loose powder over your face. You want to set your makeup and ensure it doesn't smudge into oblivion, but you do not want to look like a cake. And watch for excess around your nose and other crease-y areas. You don't want to pull a Nicole Kidman, do you?

Good luck, my darlings!!

Marilyn’s Stuffing

Adapted from “Fragments” by Marilyn Monroe (Farrar, Straus & Giroux; $30)

Time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

A 10-ounce loaf sourdough bread
1/2 pound chicken or turkey livers or hearts
1/2 pound ground round or other beef
1 tablespoon cooking oil
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups chopped curly parsley
2 eggs, hard boiled, chopped
1 1/2 cups raisins
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 1/4 cups chopped walnuts, pine nuts or roasted chestnuts, or a combination
2 teaspoons dried crushed rosemary
2 teaspoons dried crushed oregano
2 teaspoons dried crushed thyme
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon salt-free, garlic-free poultry seasoning (or 1 teaspoon dried sage, 1 teaspoon marjoram, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger and 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg)
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon pepper.

Directions:

1. Split the bread loaf in half and soak it in a large bowl of cold water for 15 minutes. Wring out excess water over a colander and shred into pieces.

2. Boil the livers or hearts for 8 minutes in salted water, then chop until no piece is larger than a coffee bean.

3. In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef in the oil, stirring occasionally and breaking up the meat, so no piece is larger than a pistachio.

4. In your largest mixing bowl, combine the sourdough, livers, ground beef, celery, onion, parsley, eggs, raisins, Parmesan and nuts, tossing gently with your hands to combine. Whisk the rosemary, oregano, thyme, bay leaves, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper together in a bowl, scatter over the stuffing and toss again with your hands. Taste and adjust for salt. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to use as a stuffing or to bake separately as dressing.

Yield: 20 cups, enough for one large turkey, 2 to 3 geese or 8 chickens.