Breaking the bonds : women who refused to conform to the ideal feminine image in postwar America

Breaking the bonds : women who refused to conform to the ideal feminine image in postwar America

Ellis, Naomi L.

2006

Graham, Gael, 1958-

Limited to on-campus users

The postwar years are often looked back upon as a period of consensus and conformity. An emphasis on traditional gender roles placed women within the home and men in the workforce. Indeed, this is the image that is portrayed in popular culture today. In truth, however, the 1950s were not characterized by consensus or conformity. Not all women remained within the domestic sphere, and not all men were breadwinners. This study shows how many women in postwar America chose not to conform to the roles and ideals mainstream society deemed appropriate. It examines the ways in which four dissenting women; communist Ethel Rosenberg, lesbian couple, Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon and African American tennis player, Althea Gibson willingly transgressed traditional boundaries of femininity. In addition to grappling with notions and definitions of femininity, this study shows the ways in which the ' ideal femininity' was contested and negotiated and analyzes the important role gender played in the cold war. This thesis also focuses on postwar constructions of race, sexuality, class, ideology, and community. Readers will learn that despite pressure to conform, many women in postwar America chose to ignore social norms they deemed undesirable and adhered to those they valued.

2014-07-23

19860 KB(file size)

v, 118 pages(pages)

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