Pink Think By Lynn Peril: An Analysis
Throughout post World War II American society developed a new modernity based on their beliefs, gender roles, and the so called American way of thinking. These aspects of everyday life influenced the new American culture through movies, television shows, advertisements, as well as other events occurring during a fortunate economic time after the World War II. The post war lead to an economic boom that created events such as the automobiles, fast food restaurants, and the thoughts and ideas Americans believed were to be a true American. One in fact, was the beginning of a despairing mindset Americans based their beliefs about women, and who the ideal woman should be. Lynn Peril analyzes in her novel, “Pink Think: Becoming a Woman in Many Uneasy
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Lessons” that the era between the 1940s to 1970s women were to “Think Pink” to be the perfect woman in order to be a part of all of society. Females needed to abide by the “material culture of femininity” (Peril 11) and always seem perfect even if that feeling was not felt. This was needed in order to maintain the balance in which we all live in America to be the American way of living.
Ironically during World War II many women entered the workplace from 1940 to 1945, and the number of females working in the workplace increased vastly. A great female icon named Rosie the Riveter lured in females to work in any workplace from office work to even heavy duty work. Another well-known feminine icon was Marilyn Monroe and the idea was to recruit all women to work including mothers and wives. At the time of the war, the idea of the pin up girl was meant for the men at war who pinned up posters of sexy women and had pictures of them as a sense of ease from the war, but not only that the government allowed this imitation of women to provide reassurance that their idea of a woman has not changed. Thus right after the end of fearing communism, Americans depicted what the true femininity of a woman should always be represented. Eric Schlosser author of his nonfiction book, “Fast Food Nation” explains how America’s greatest hindrance during the war was the Soviet Union. Once Soviet communism came to an end it led to, “an unprecedented ‘Americanization’ of the world” (Schlosser 239). The fear of communism remained, but if you were patriotic there was nothing to worry about. These unknown customs had to deal with the idea of gender norms that were brought upon women, and it developed a high standard of femininity that violated a woman’s own freedom.
Americans held high standards on the idea of femininity brought upon women to fulfill and demonstrate in their everyday lives.
The woman’s role in life was too much of a burden to take on, but it was told to be the true American way of living. The idea of a women maintaining her appearance, attitude, and personality through the guidelines of pink think was a thought brainwashed into women that they were doing their part in society. Since early childhood women were expected to already fill these shoes of what is to be said “true womanhood” and Lynn Peril explains that since birth there were already guidelines on how to raise your baby girl. She states, “Start your baby, especially if it is a girl, on a lifelong beauty and grooming program” (Peril 28). The idea of this was the illustration of true womanhood of how the ideal woman should and would become. The title put upon femininity that women needed to fulfill was unrealistic and untrue. The whole concept of being a women was basically not to live for yourself, but for others approval over you. There seem to be no freedom for true womanhood, but there were strict rules on how a female should look, date, behave, and so much more in order to perform true femininity in society. Consumerism during this modernity after the war was influenced by the advertisements that indoctrinated Americans as a society. These advertisements showing the perfect woman with the luscious hair, wonderful relationship, and happy life incited a stronger femininity culture than ever
before.
Lessons” that the era between the 1940s to 1970s women were to “Think Pink” to be the perfect woman in order to be a part of all of society. Females needed to abide by the “material culture of femininity” (Peril 11) and always seem perfect even if that feeling was not felt. This was needed in order to maintain the balance in which we all live in America to be the American way of living.
Ironically during World War II many women entered the workplace from 1940 to 1945, and the number of females working in the workplace increased vastly. A great female icon named Rosie the Riveter lured in females to work in any workplace from office work to even heavy duty work. Another well-known feminine icon was Marilyn Monroe and the idea was to recruit all women to work including mothers and wives. At the time of the war, the idea of the pin up girl was meant for the men at war who pinned up posters of sexy women and had pictures of them as a sense of ease from the war, but not only that the government allowed this imitation of women to provide reassurance that their idea of a woman has not changed. Thus right after the end of fearing communism, Americans depicted what the true femininity of a woman should always be represented. Eric Schlosser author of his nonfiction book, “Fast Food Nation” explains how America’s greatest hindrance during the war was the Soviet Union. Once Soviet communism came to an end it led to, “an unprecedented ‘Americanization’ of the world” (Schlosser 239). The fear of communism remained, but if you were patriotic there was nothing to worry about. These unknown customs had to deal with the idea of gender norms that were brought upon women, and it developed a high standard of femininity that violated a woman’s own freedom.
Americans held high standards on the idea of femininity brought upon women to fulfill and demonstrate in their everyday lives.
The woman’s role in life was too much of a burden to take on, but it was told to be the true American way of living. The idea of a women maintaining her appearance, attitude, and personality through the guidelines of pink think was a thought brainwashed into women that they were doing their part in society. Since early childhood women were expected to already fill these shoes of what is to be said “true womanhood” and Lynn Peril explains that since birth there were already guidelines on how to raise your baby girl. She states, “Start your baby, especially if it is a girl, on a lifelong beauty and grooming program” (Peril 28). The idea of this was the illustration of true womanhood of how the ideal woman should and would become. The title put upon femininity that women needed to fulfill was unrealistic and untrue. The whole concept of being a women was basically not to live for yourself, but for others approval over you. There seem to be no freedom for true womanhood, but there were strict rules on how a female should look, date, behave, and so much more in order to perform true femininity in society. Consumerism during this modernity after the war was influenced by the advertisements that indoctrinated Americans as a society. These advertisements showing the perfect woman with the luscious hair, wonderful relationship, and happy life incited a stronger femininity culture than ever
before.