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February 28, 2009

Feisty Women in the Movies

What was in the air in the early 1950's?  In addition to Annie Get Your Gun (see entry here),  check out this particularly feisty scene in Calamity Jane.  

One factor at play was the Hays Code, a set of guidelines established for the movie industry in the 1920's, which was ultimately replaced by the rating system in use today.   The Code provided, among other things, that the movie should portray the sanctity of marriage, forbid portrayals of sexual perversion or nudity, and required respectfulness toward the American flag and religion.  Perhaps also these films were a release for the women of the early 1950's, who, after a very liberating period in the 1940's were back in the home raising children in the suburbs.  As this video shows, there was considerable discomfort with the concept of women being able to independently support themselves (with independent means they could divorce more easily) and being "rivals" to men.  I find it a bit ironic that the woman who is the source of this viewpoint is clearly a professional MD.

In fact, "career girls" were the object of some attention during the 1950's.  Below is another YouTube video from the period of a young women being interviewed and evaluated by two psychologists about her level of commitment to her career, in front of an audience.  The piece seems very scripted, but is interesting, nevertheless.

  

February 28, 2009 |

Comments

online movies

I think you have a very interesting point! You can learn a lot about a certain culture through its movies. I actually think were regressing non the feminism theme at the moment if we take the new movies as an indicator- girls shopping? hehe. It seems like all woman do these days is die of illness, shop or learn/teach of true love.

Posted by: online movies | November 08, 2009 at 10:36 AM

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