Rosie the Riveter has long been a symbol of the feminist movement; exposing muscular arms and wearing a determined look on her face. Her slogan is “We Can Do It!” But that’s not what many women are told. The reality is that not enough women hear “You can do it” enough times in their lives. And I like to believe that the ERA might influence that a little bit.
The film industry is still a male dominated world, but slowly this is changing. Two years ago Katherine Bigelow became the first women to win an Academy Award for best director for her movie “The Hurt Locker.” As a woman, I was very proud watching her receive the Oscar — it was history in the making. However, we still have a long way to go. Last year, women made up just seven percent of the directors of major motion pictures. Furthermore, women accounted for only 18 percent of all editors, 15 percent of executive producers, 10 percent of writers and two percent of cinematographers working on the top 250 films of 2010.
Being a young woman has its perks: I can wear dresses in hot weather, march in Slutwalks, hell, I can bring a whole new life into this world. What I can’t do is be seen as an equal to my male counterparts. Too many times my sense of worth is doubted or eliminated in everyday environments, such as work and school.
I’m proud of where I come from and who I am today. So the news that a Chick-fil-A in Dallas held a Daddy-Daughter Date Night right before Father’s Day has me conflicted along identity lines.
The Equal Rights Amendment means a day of peace for me. A day where I won’t have to be harassed while walking to class. A day when my thoughts aren’t interupted by a man yelling at me from a car. A day where I can wear a cute skirt without fear of being catcalled all day long.
Tell the Senate to vote No on the SAVE America Act.