More popular than the male actors, female stars assisted in making Hollywood a booming industry, with appreciation to their intense admiration from the audience. As more women began to flourish, every generation of filmmaking persisted to advance as well. With the arrival of each new decade comes the influx of “new challenges for women to find their places again, as the changing nature of the business makes new rules, and, hopefully, breaks the old ones,” (Rose 1). Women in the film industry during the nineteen forties and fifties served as prominent icons that have immeasurably influenced women in their time period. As the nineteen forties began during World War II, motion pictures encouraged actresses to express their femininity and patriotism
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“The greatest fashion influence in American, stylists now admit, is the much photographed, much-glamorized, much imitated, movie queen.” (How Hollywood 1). Post World War II many of Americans, as well as a vast majority of women, felt a sense of independence and freedom. Hopes for a woman's future appeared to be bright. According to Yvonne Diakos, a woman who grew up in the nineteen fifties, “I thought a woman was supposed to take care of her family and her house.” (Diakos) Women’s roles were greatly changed in the nineteen fifties, with the men coming back from war and taking their jobs back. “A woman's new role was “ to desire to desire,” (Doane 54). Films in the nineteen fifties seemed to “give women a choice between being a domestic goddess or a sex goddess” (Brégent-Heald 2). The mirror that society held up to girls in the nineteen fifties suggested females were to be feminine. However, women challenged that stereotype and fought to break the model of what society described as the ideal woman” Women in the media in the nineteen fifties as said by Diakos, “were always smiling and happy. They presented themselves with whatever clothing they wanted. They were not ashamed to wear scandalous dresses or high heels. Whatever they did they did with confidence. It was obviously that many people wanted to be them and their hairstyles and clothing were often copied.” (Diakos). It appeared that the normal housewives had whatever a woman could wish; a husband, healthy children, comfortable homes, and new advances in technology. (Lamb 2). “Despite all these conveniences, women asked themselves every day, while preparing dinner or cleaning the house: “Who am I?” (Lamb 2). Women wanted not more than be just known as housewives. Thus, the idea of the Barbie came about. According to Ruth Handler, creator of the Barbie Doll, “My whole philosophy of Barbie was that through the
“The greatest fashion influence in American, stylists now admit, is the much photographed, much-glamorized, much imitated, movie queen.” (How Hollywood 1). Post World War II many of Americans, as well as a vast majority of women, felt a sense of independence and freedom. Hopes for a woman's future appeared to be bright. According to Yvonne Diakos, a woman who grew up in the nineteen fifties, “I thought a woman was supposed to take care of her family and her house.” (Diakos) Women’s roles were greatly changed in the nineteen fifties, with the men coming back from war and taking their jobs back. “A woman's new role was “ to desire to desire,” (Doane 54). Films in the nineteen fifties seemed to “give women a choice between being a domestic goddess or a sex goddess” (Brégent-Heald 2). The mirror that society held up to girls in the nineteen fifties suggested females were to be feminine. However, women challenged that stereotype and fought to break the model of what society described as the ideal woman” Women in the media in the nineteen fifties as said by Diakos, “were always smiling and happy. They presented themselves with whatever clothing they wanted. They were not ashamed to wear scandalous dresses or high heels. Whatever they did they did with confidence. It was obviously that many people wanted to be them and their hairstyles and clothing were often copied.” (Diakos). It appeared that the normal housewives had whatever a woman could wish; a husband, healthy children, comfortable homes, and new advances in technology. (Lamb 2). “Despite all these conveniences, women asked themselves every day, while preparing dinner or cleaning the house: “Who am I?” (Lamb 2). Women wanted not more than be just known as housewives. Thus, the idea of the Barbie came about. According to Ruth Handler, creator of the Barbie Doll, “My whole philosophy of Barbie was that through the