Feminist Foremothers

I’m recording this in May of 2021, and we’re in the middle of recovering from a pandemic that has exposed the tenuous position of American women at work. Over the past year, Women have left the workforce in far greater numbers than men. And women with racialized identities have been impacted the most.We Can Do It! — the sentiment attributed to Rosie the Riveter — rings a bit hollow in light of this recent news. Even so, Rosie the Riveter is the most iconic image of American womanhood. One full of contradictions. For one, she didn’t start as an image at all. So how did we come to worship at Rosie’s altar? 

You’re listening to a series about the cultural legacies of three very complicated women: Carry Nation, Hattie McDaniel, and Rosie the Riveter. Each made history — and they still exert influence today. Join us as we touch on Black American migration, Ryan Murphy’s Hollywood, the 1991 film Daughters of the Dust, and (of course) Gone with the Wind. She may have died almost seventy years ago, but Hattie McDaniel has had a lot going on lately. Of course, she was an icon, and icons enjoy an eventful afterlife right here on earth. For full Show Notes, click on Transcript and scroll to bottom.

Welcome to Feminist Foremothers, a mama.film podcast hosted by Emily Christensen. You’re listening to a series about the cultural legacies of complicated women who belong to history — but still exert influence in surprising ways. In episode one, we dive in with the notorious Carry Nation.If you’re not from Kansas, you probably haven’t heard of her. But at the dawn of the twentieth century, Carry Nation was one of the most famous women in the world, both celebrated and reviled for smashing up bars with her trusty hatchet....Tune in to learn more about this complex woman and how her legacy can be traced through pop culture to modern-day icons like Chrissy Teigen and Charlize Theron. And if she were on social media today, would she be worthy of a follow?Original Artwork: Hannah Scott