Ladies of Labor, Girls of Adventure

Ladies of Labor, Girls of Adventure
Author :
Publisher : Columbia University Press
Total Pages : 288
Release :
ISBN-10 : 0231111037
ISBN-13 : 9780231111034
Rating : 4/5 (034 Downloads)

Book Synopsis Ladies of Labor, Girls of Adventure by : Nan Enstad

Download or read book Ladies of Labor, Girls of Adventure written by Nan Enstad and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 1999 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At the beginning of the twentieth century, labor leaders in women's unions routinely chastised their members for their ceaseless pursuit of fashion, avid reading of dime novels, and "affected" ways, including aristocratic airs and accents. Indeed, working women in America were eagerly participating in the burgeoning consumer culture available to them. While the leading activists, organizers, and radicals feared that consumerist tendencies made working women seem frivolous and dissuaded them from political action, these women, in fact, went on strike in very large numbers during the period, proving themselves to be politically active, astute, and effective. In Ladies of Labor, Girls of Adventure, historian Nan Enstad explores the complex relationship between consumer culture and political activism for late nineteenth- and twentieth-century working women. While consumerism did not make women into radicals, it helped shape their culture and their identities as both workers and political actors. Examining material ranging from early dime novels about ordinary women who inherit wealth or marry millionaires, to inexpensive, ready-to-wear clothing that allowed them to both deny and resist mistreatment in the workplace, Enstad analyzes how working women wove popular narratives and fashions into their developing sense of themselves as "ladies." She then provides a detailed examination of how this notion of "ladyhood" affected the great New York shirtwaist strike of 1909-1910. From the women's grievances, to the walkout of over 20,000 workers, to their style of picketing, Enstad shows how consumer culture was a central theme in this key event of labor strife. Finally, Enstad turns to the motion picture genre of female adventure serials, popular after 1912, which imbued "ladyhood" with heroines' strength, independence, and daring.


Ladies of Labor, Girls of Adventure Related Books

Ladies of Labor, Girls of Adventure
Language: en
Pages: 288
Authors: Nan Enstad
Categories: Business & Economics
Type: BOOK - Published: 1999 - Publisher: Columbia University Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

At the beginning of the twentieth century, labor leaders in women's unions routinely chastised their members for their ceaseless pursuit of fashion, avid readin
Encyclopedia of Women in American History
Language: en
Pages: 1438
Authors: Joyce Appleby
Categories: History
Type: BOOK - Published: 2015-07-17 - Publisher: Routledge

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This illustrated encyclopedia examines the unique influence and contributions of women in every era of American history, from the colonial period to the present
Women's Roles in Twentieth-Century America
Language: en
Pages: 245
Authors: Martha May
Categories: Social Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2009-05-14 - Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The twentieth century was a time of great transformation in the roles of American women. Women have always worked and raised families, but, theoretically, the w
Women and Work
Language: en
Pages: 390
Authors: Christine Leiren Mower
Categories: Literary Criticism
Type: BOOK - Published: 2010-08-11 - Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

While issues surrounding women and work may be more subtle today than in the past, problems of workplace equity, child-rearing, and domestic labor pose problems
The American Girl Goes to War
Language: en
Pages: 185
Authors: Liz Clarke
Categories: Performing Arts
Type: BOOK - Published: 2022-01-14 - Publisher: Rutgers University Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

During the 1910s, films about war often featured a female protagonist. The films portrayed women as spies, cross-dressing soldiers, and athletic defenders of th