4. Misreported Fact: The “We Can Do It!” Poster
One of the best known images associated with World War II today is the We Can Do It! poster. At the time, however, few saw that poster or even knew it existed. It was not created by the US government as inspirational propaganda for the public at large. Instead, the poster was commissioned by Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company and targeted at its workers. It was produced by graphic artist J. Howard Miller in 1943 as one of a series of posters that were displayed for two weeks in some Westinghouse factories, before it was taken down. Today, We Can Do It! is deemed a symbol of female empowerment, to the effect that women are strong and can do whatever they put their minds to. At the time it was commissioned, however, the idea was to get female factory workers to work harder and follow orders.
The “It” in We Can Do It! is clarified by a companion poster, in which a male manager counsels: “Any Questions About Your Work? Ask Your Supervisor“. Thus, the poster was a paternalistic exhortation to female employees that all was possible, so long as they sought help and followed orders. Also, the woman depicted and often referred to as Rosie the Riveter was not a riveter. The posters were displayed in factories that produced helmet liners, a process that involves no riveting. It was largely forgotten, until 1982, when the Washington Post Magazine ran an article about posters in the National Archives that included We Can Do It! Nearly four decades after WWII, the poster finally attracted attention, and went viral. It was depicted on the cover of Smithsonian Magazine, was featured in a US post stamp, and was misinterpreted – or reinterpreted – by feminists as a call for female empowerment.
