Rosie the Riveter hairstyle: We Can Blog It!

 "Remember, Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels." ~ Faith Whittlesey

Hello ladies!

Today, you often see bandanas used as a symbol for certain gangs, but back in the 40's, bandanas were a popular accessory for women. They provided a stylish way for women to hold hairstyles in place while going about their business. While bandana trends have evolved over the years, the 40's style of folding and wearing a bandana is still a stylish option that can be used today to create a chic, vintage look.

Who’s Rosie the Riveter?

Rosie stands for those women who stayed home during World War II and worked in jobs that were used to be for men, leaving the kitchen and the mop aside for the massive production of munitions and other war supplies in many manufacturing plants.

The truth is that after the war ended and soldiers returned home, many “Rosies” returned to be who they were before the war: house keepers and family figures but with that defying and resolute gaze in her eyes, her working clothes and proudly showing her strong right arm, the image of Rosie and of all the women behind her nowadays are considered as symbols of women’s rights and of the changes in women social conditions.

Rosie is a cult image, a reference in American History, a feminist icon and one of my favourite images of all time.

A story about Geraldine Hoff Doyl

For just a simple square of cloth, the bandana enjoys a long and storied history. Far from being a mere fashion statement, its uses are as varied as the palette of colors and styles that are readily available. Today, we take a look back at this versatile cloth that has served the masses so well over the years. 

This is my inspiration picture: We Can Blog It!

The bandana first came into renown in the Old West, where the cloth was used as a neckerchief, pulled up to cover the mouth and nose as protection against the dust and dirt of the as-yet uncivilized frontier. Unfortunately, this led to outlaws using the bandana to cover their faces during robberies and crime, and the bandana quickly became associated with the wrong side of the law.

Later, the bandana became fashionable as a hobo bag, tied to a stick slung over your shoulder, and holding all your belongings as you rode the boxcars. This romantic notion gave kids the inspiration to use this method of packing when they planned to run away from home. The bandana was also just the basic necessity of sweat rag and nose tissue for the common working man, stuffed into back pocket of dungarees. But, it was also fashionable for ladies in the 40's to tie their hair back with this otherwise macho-style do-rag.


Depending on your haircut and length, the quintessential rockabilly Rosie the Riveter hairstyle can be done in a few different ways.




Supplies Needed: Bandana, hairspray, comb, optional curling iron or hot rollers, bobby pins, pomade.


The headband bandana look:
1. You'll want to fold the bandana first. Fold the bandana in half and then into thirds, leaving the bandana to be about 5" wide.
2. For easy wrapping, ensure that the longest side is at the bottom of your head while wrapping.
3. Bring the ends to the front of your head, just above the bang-line or where your bangs would start. Tie them into a double-knot.

Step 1 and 2

Step 3

Successful bandana wear is simple yet so effective. Bad hair day? Not a worry.

The bandana will fix it!

The pin-up bandana look is just one famous hairstyle worn in the pin-up era which is gaining popularity ever so rapidly right now.

You can wear it with anything!

Here are some of my looks:

And now back to the history - to the inspiration lady:

Geraldine Hoff Doyle (pictured) died in Lansing, Michigan on December 26th at the age of 86. Nearly 70 years ago she was working as a 17 year old in a metal pressing plant during World War Two.

How the Rosie the Riveter poster came to be was that in 1942, a photographer representing United Press International came to the metal factory where Geraldine Hoff Doyle worked (for only two weeks!) and loved her subtle beauty. She wore a red and white polka dot scarf as she worked. The photo ended up being the inspiration for the Rosie the Riveter poster, made by artist J. Howard Miller.

Geraldine Hoff Doyle

Interestingly, the history of the image isn't as straightforward as it seems. For a start, Doyle only worked in the factory for a couple of weeks. And the poster itself had a very limited local distribution during the war - seemingly hardly anyone saw it. It wasn't until the 1970's and 80's that the poster was rediscovered and became an icon of 'Rosie the Riveter'. In recent years for instance, Christina Aguilera („Candyman“), Pink („Raise your glass“) and Beyonce („Why don't you love me?“) have all recycled versions of this image in their music videos.

"Candyman"

„Raise your glass“

„Why don't you love me?“

Rosie the Riveter was originally named in a 1942 song, with various versions recorded including this one by the Four Vagabonds:

"Rosie The Riveter by The Four Vagabonds" 

If you are pro equality then you are pro true feminism.

Some indeed have taken feminism to the extreme, but true feminism is simply this "men and women are equal". Those that say that women are better than men are not feminists.

Makes me proud to be a woman

We can do it!

With love,

Idda van Munster