What lengths would you go through to be able to take credit for your work? The paintings of children with big eyes have been a cultural phenomenon since the 1960s, but an abundance of people overlook the struggle that the artist of the paintings endured for something as simple as signing her name on the paintings instead of someone else’s. In the movie Big Eyes Margaret Keane’s husband takes credit for Margaret’s work because art was a male-dominated field. So, Margaret spent the rest of her life trying to get the credit that was rightfully hers. Margaret Keane exemplifies the struggle women of the 1960s’ culture faced as they attempted to enter male-dominated fields such as art, architecture, and music, hence the movie Big Eyes is an accurate …show more content…
portrayal of just how oppressed women were in society during the 60s. Infact, Margaret Keane’s life was a constant struggle of oppression due to her gender. Her first husband- Frank Richard Ulbrich- was abusive towards Margaret and their young daughter, Jane. Margaret realized that the situation was toxic for her and her daughter. Consequently, Margaret left Ulbrich and headed to California on her own; newly- divorced, Margaret was desperate to find a job to support her and her daughter. Proving to be a difficult feat-due to the malignant stigma surrounding women holding down coveted or high paying jobs- Margaret began to sell some of her paintings at craft shows. At one of these craft shows, she met Walter Keane- who claimed to be a well established artist; after courting, they married in 1955. Furthermore, Walter belittled and “‘bullied’ Margaret into letting him claim credit for the [her] paintings during their marriage from 1955 to 1965”(Artist Wins Slander Suit 8) so that the paintings would be more lucrative, due to the fact that she was a woman in a man’s field. He then became controlling and forced Margaret to dupe her own daughter about the creation of the paintings. Again and again, Walter deprived Margaret of having any say in what happened to her paintings or what she painted, and because of cultural norms, she anguished what would happen if she spoke out against Mr. Keane. After ensuing through ten years of marriage to Walter, Margaret finally left the abusive relationship; she took her daughter to Hawaii where they procured a new life for themselves. Eventually, Mr. Keane found Margaret in Hawaii after she openly spoke about the abuse and how Walter tained Margaret’s name when he took credit for her work on a local talk show in Hawaii. Mr. Keane learned of this and decided to tell his side of the story to a newspaper. After learning about what her ex-husband did, “(Margaret) Keane had filed suit claiming her 70-year old former husband…[had] told a freelance writer from USA today she had falsely claimed to be the creator of the paintings he created because she thought he was dead” (“Artist Wins Slander Suit” 4). Even when she spoke the truth, Walter Keane arguably took advantage of the male-dominated society and attempted to adulterate Margaret’s reputation. Ultimately, Margaret was the victor of the trial after the arbiter asks them both “ during the trial,”(“Artists Wins Slander Suit” 4) to paint a portrait to prove who was the true artist. Margaret then “ painted one in the courtroom[while]...former husband...declined to paint one of his own”(“Artists Wins Slander Suit” 4) and the “jury awarded Margaret Keane,... $4 million in a slander suit against her ex-husband”( “Artist Wins Slander Suit” 1). Even though Margaret’s fame and recognition did not happen for years after the court trial, and despite the odds working against Keane, she persisted in fighting the injustice done to her by her ex-husband. Winning the court case was a victory for not just Keane, but for women in American society. Noticeably, Keane’s work reached acclaim among some groups recently, “ it’s not the first wave of enthusiasm: Sixties Hollywood adored Margaret Keane”( Jones 1). Hollywood recognized the monumental contribution and impact by women in the film-industry sooner than other male-dominated industries. Margaret Keane did receive trivial recognition for her work, but attitudes in the 60s toward female artists categorized women as Sunday painters and not professional artists. So as a result, Keane’s work enjoyed a short period of trendiness, due to the fact that Margaret painted a multitude of famous people’s portraits. However, initially, she was not taken seriously. It was not until the 21st century that the significance of her art and her contribution to women had an impact. And so, years later her work re-emerged, “her first formal museum exhibition ‘Margaret Keane and Keneabilia’...the show documents her 40 year career” (Jones 1) which gained popularity by art critics and not just as a fad and Margaret is “thrilled about it...and relieved, no doubt, that credibility is finally falling where it is due” (Joes 2). Ultimately, even though “Kenae struggled to maintain her credibility after...her second husband...smeared her name by claiming credit for her work” (Jones 2) the impact of Keane’s work out lasted her ex-husband’s attempt to discredit her as an artist. Although there were women artists over the years, art remained a male-dominated field that proved challenging to break into. Important to realize, art predates written history, and therefore many would think that women would be more prevalent in but it was not until 1987 that seasoned female artists like “O’Keeffe...would break into ‘Janson’s History of Art’, the leading textbook, until 1987, and equality remained elusive” (Sheets 1). Women were simply not recognized as having a significant contribution to art history; this is due largely to societal expectations, gender roles, “deep cultural bias and persistent gender divide” (Sheets 2) and gender inequality in recognizing women as substantial contributors in the art world. Attitudes like this are losing ground as women persist to have a place in the art world. Some women artists were told by male artists “(in the ‘50s) that women just could not paint” (Sheets 4). Steps to close the expansive gap include all-women exhibitions, and even though some female artists were not happy with it, the pinnacle of success for women was for them to show their work through all-female exhibitions. Even as recently as 2015, the percentage of women artists on view in major museum collections is significantly less than 50%. There is an obvious and “statistically a vast gender imbalance in terms of museum exhibitions, and permanent collections, prices, gallery representation, and press coverage” (Sheets 1-2) which seems awful defeating until the previous statistics of women in museum exhibitions are considered. Just as in other sections of society- and as Margaret Keane experienced-male dominance proves difficult to overcome. Margaret felt trapped and did not necessarily have all of the freedom that some women artists had because Margaret needed to support herself and her daughter. There were also many other women that tried to enter male-dominated fields that went through just as many hardships as Margaret Keane. The movie Big Eyes accurately portrayed what it was like for women to succeed and to have a voice during the 1950s and 1960s. Notably, Mary Otis Stevens entered the male- dominated field of architecture and encountered much of the same resistance that Margaret Keane faced.
Architecture, like art, had been only for men to pursue, but Mary Otis Stevens soon challenged the societal norms about her place in the field. The cultural standards and boundaries of the 1950s and 1960s were clearly defined, and “One of the most rigid of these boundaries was the one between the space for the daily lives of men and women, the city being defined as (men’s) work place and the suburb as (women’s) private residential haven… suburban house was both symbol and actual representation of enclosure of women and their children” (Umansky 29). Women were not allowed to be in the true workplace, and the only place they were openly accepted allowed to be was in the home taking care of children. Women were starting to have a voice in the world “in cultural and political debates” (Umansky 30) but they still had the dilemma of breaking through male-only fields, like architecture, “especially when they sought to go beyond helpmate roles” (Umansky 30). Many of the hardships Stevens overcame while trying to be accepted into an architecture program were not due to aptitude, but to sexism “some graduating classes had none (no women) at all” (Umansky 32). Even though she was in the architecture program, the university made it as hard as possible for her to stay there, for example a lack of proper dorms for women. Accepting women in …show more content…
architecture programs portrayed only the illusion of equality for women. It appeared that women were given the opportunity to pursue what they wanted, but in reality they were not. Her “father and his friend Eric Gugler, the architect of the White House’s West Wing renovation,” (Umansky 31-32) even tried to keep her from being an architect. Very well-respected male architects like Eric Gugler thought that women should not be in the field. They thought that she would “marry soon and forget about her personal ambitions” (Umansky 32). Parental expectations were to get married and to have a family; Stevens was not allowed to have a successful career as an architect. The early stages of her career were the hardest steps for Mary because she “continued to test the boundaries of permissibility” (Umansky 32). Later in her career she built a house that was an important contribution to architecture. Just as the movie Big Eyes portrays Keane fighting through sexism, Mary Otis Stevens’ story also illustrates the reality of sexism. Correspondingly, women were greatly patronized and were expected to wait for men to do things for them.
So being independent and not relying on anyone else was certainly tremendous. There was a great deal of change happening in the 1960s. One of the greatest role models during the time was Diana Ross- a black female singer- “explicitly recognized the 1960s women’s liberation movement as an important influence on her professional and personal development into a strong independent black woman” (Kooijman 152). During the Sixties many minorities, women, and African Americans were gaining rights. Women began to speak out against the inequality, “housewives were no longer content to stand behind the stove and cook...women had become agitated. We had our own opinions. We began to speak out” (Koojiman 152).omen realized they had potential and important traits that could be used in the workplace. To many, the women’s liberation movement was more than being able to hold a job, it was also about the dilemma women faced outside the work environment in everyday life. When Diana Ross said, “I called a cab and carried a ticket on an airplane and traveled all by myself. I’m a hardworking ham. I can be anything I want” (Kooijman 154) it probably encouraged young women to stand up to people who tried to hold them back from doing things that they
wanted. From the perspective of Big Eyes,Hollywood’s portrayal of the hardships women faced during the Sixties was highly accurate. Role models like Diana Ross even found it hard to be taken seriously in careers like the arts. Diana Ross shows how necessary it was for Margaret Keane to get married because Ross describes how hard, yet liberating, it was for her to be able to travel by herself and do what society would now think as mundane, ordinary tasks. It was not easy for women to be on their own during this time period. Margaret Keane, as well as, Stevens and Ross, exemplify the struggle women of the 1960s’ culture faced as they attempted to enter male-dominated fields such as art, architecture and music is an accurate portrayal of just how oppressed women were in society during the 60s, because Hollywood accurately portrayed the time period, the issue of women’s rights during the 1960s, and the hardships faced by women artists.
"Woman is not born," feminist Andrea Dworkin wrote. "She is made. In the making, her humanity is destroyed. She becomes symbol of this, symbol of that: mother of the earth, slut of the universe; but she never becomes herself because it is forbidden for her to do so." Dworkin’s quote relates to women throughout history who have been forced to conform. Although women can be regarded highly in society, representing images of fertility, security, and beauty, many people still view them in stereotypical ways; some people believe that all women should act a certain way, never letting their true selves shine through. Amy Lowell’s "Patterns" and Helen Sorrell’s "From a Correct Address in a Suburb of a Major City" accurately portray the struggles of women in relation to conformity. Through contrasting descriptive details, symbols, and language, the authors depict the plights of two remarkably similar women who wish they could break free of their social confinements as women.
Addams, whose father was an Illinois state senator and friend of Abraham Lincoln, graduated in 1881 from Rockford College (then called Rockford Women’s Seminary). She returned the following year to receive one of the school’s first bachelor’s degrees. With limited career opportunities for women, she began searching for ways to help others and solve the country’s growing social problems. In 1888, Addams and her college friend, Ellen Gates Starr, visited Toynbee Hall, the two women observed college-educated Englishmen “settling” in desperately poor East London slum where they helped the people. This gave her the idea for Hull House.
... dismissing these ideas as the war ended and men returned home. Their focus then turned to assuring the male public that women were still women and downplayed the independence they had gained. Nevertheless, those women paved the way for women after them to enter the work force, showing that even though their work was temporary during a time of crisis, they exceeded the expectations a nation had set for them.
While Rimer directly interviews the students and faculty of Smith College’s Ada Comstock Scholars Program for her primary research source, this particular college is not the main focus of the essay. Women’s colleges Mount Holyoke and Bryn Mawr are also mentioned in the essay (para.27). Rimer’s interview with a historian who has studied women in higher education, speaks to women’s colleges in general. The historian goes on to explain that going back to college is transforming for older women who have been shaped by gender specific expectations (para.9). Women’s colleges o...
But when the “Women’s Movement,” is referred to, one would most likely think about the strides taken during the 1960’s for equal treatment of women. The sixties started off with a bang for women, as the Food and Drug Administration approved birth control pills, President John F. Kennedy established the President's Commission on the Status of Women and appointed Eleanor Roosevelt as chairwoman, and Betty Friedan published her famous and groundbreaking book, “The Feminine Mystique” (Imbornoni). The Women’s Movement of the 1960’s was a ground-breaking part of American history because along with African-Americans another minority group stood up for equality, women were finished with being complacent, and it changed women’s lives today.
During the 40's women's roles and expectations in society were changing rapidly. Previously women had very little say in society
Women progressed in the 50’s in finding their freedom, such as: how to work outside the house, gaining new job opportunities, and finding their place in society. Coming from a life in 1692, where women could not express emotion, or leave the house for any reason, unless helping their husband; to now being able to help in the war is a huge accomplishment for women in this time period. Women have risen above society’s standards. Women gave faith to their families during the Great Depression, lifted the family without the husband during the times of war, and now after all the conflict and difficulties the women maintained their bravery and their position in society.
In the 1960’s women were still seen as trophies and were beginning to be accepted into the work industry. They were still homemakers, raised the family, and made sure their husbands were happy. That was the social norms for women during that time period. They were not held to high work expectations like men were. But something amazing happened that would change women 's lives for centuries; it was the 1970’s. The 60’s put the equality movement in motion but 70’s was a time of reform where women were finally able to control their own paths. Not only was the 70’s a historical marker for the fiftieth anniversary for women suffrage, it was also a marker for the drastic change of different social norms, the changes of the American Dream, and the
There are various social norms which are illustrated in this film. It should be noted that the film depicts the environment of education system of women in the 1950s. During this period, it was believed that an ideal path for respected women in the society is by going through the education system. The education system prepared them for tending a house, marriage and raising a family. Notably, this was the aspiration of the young ladies who joined the Wellesley College. This is what the college prepared them for and was what their families expected of them. Katherine manages to inspire and challenge the young ladies to think beyond such social norms and conventions. Katherine argues that the general outlook of women in the community must be changed if at all women were to achieve better futures.
...nd they certainly did not quit and let men walk over them. They made sure people heard their voices, they reached out and made a point that they were just as capable as men. They were not being disobedient, they were standing up and making sure they were not lost in a society that was clearly run by men. You cannot fault the women, it was the men’s fault for thinking that women were not capable. There is a difference in helping a woman do certain things and being polite and then running a society where they cannot do anything, where they are not capable of doing anything. Edith Wharton was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize. Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly alone across the Atlantic. Dr. Sally K. Ride was the first woman to be sent to space. Just because they are physically different does not mean they are not as capable of achieving powerful goals.
“The feminist revolution had to be fought because women quite simply were stopped at a state of evolution far short of their human capacity” (Friedan). The feminist movement began when women came to the conclusion that they should no longer be treated as secondary characters in their own lives. Women lacked not only the rights that were possessed by all men, but also the respect that was readily given to men. The women of the twentieth century were expected to be outstanding homemakers, but nothing more than that. Because of these egregious conjectures, Betty Friedan wrote The Feminine Mystique to further investigate the feeling of displeasure in being a housewife. Although The Feminine Mystique excluded African American and poverty-stricken women, the novel impacted American women and society through the creation of women’s groups, legal victories, and additional rights.
In the early 20th century, many women went to college and worked professionally, but the mid-20th century myth of the middle-class suburban housewife downplayed the importance of women's education. Feminists knew that girls and women must be encouraged to seek an education, and not just "something to fall back on," if they were to become, and be seen as, fully equal. In her article, "The Long Way Home," Myrna Kostash discusses her experiences as a feminist in university. "It was 1963 and there was none of us who did not believe we would be different from the brigades of women in the suburbs. We were students. We would be clever, and we would travel, and we would have adventures." (Kostash, The Long Way Home, 167.) University provided the perfect place for like-minded women to meet, extend their influence and advocate for change. "Although university women continued to be the support base of the women's liberation groups, it was not unusual when their meetings included young working women, high school students, middle-aged housewives, single mothers, women from old left groups" (Kostash, The Long Way Home, 170.) Yet, although women were more educated then they had been in the past, the only socially acceptable role for them was to get married and have children. The second wave of feminism sought to change this perception and fought to give women opportunities on par with men including wage equality, maternity benefits, and the right
The focus of The Women’s Liberation Movement was idealized off The Civil Rights Movement; it was founded on the elimination of discriminary practices and sexist attitudes (Freeman, 1995). Although by the 1960s women were responsible for one-third of the work force, despite the propaganda surrounding the movement women were still urged to “go back home.” However the movement continued to burn on, and was redeveloping a new attitude by the 1970s. The movement was headed by a new generation that was younger and more educated in politics and social actions. These young women not only challenged the gender role expectations, but drove the feminist agenda that pursued to free women from oppression and male authority and redistribute power and social good among the sexes (Baumgardner and Richards, 2000).
In this paper we will examine women's roles in the 1950's through Mona Lisa Smile and compare this film to actual experiences of Wellesley College graduates. In 1953, a time when women's roles were rigidly defined, free-spirited, art history professor Katherine Watson (Julia Roberts) begins teaching her dream job at Wellesley College. Wellesley is an all-female campus with a prestigious reputation for academic excellence, however, despite its name it is an environment where success is measured by 'how well' the students marry. Katherine, who recently left her husband (first strike against the non-conformist), taught liberal views that were out of place in this conservative 50s college. Encouraging these women to strive for a more open-minded future, Watson challenges the administration and inspires her students to look beyond the image of what is, and consider the possibilities of what could be.
Women were drawn into the work place in the 1960's when the economy expanded and rising consumer aspirations fueled the desire of many families for a second income. By 1960, 30.5 percent of all wives worked and the number of women graduating from college grew. (Echols, 400) Women soon found they were being treated differently and paid less then their male co-workers.