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Kiana Lively
L.C. Orenduff-Bartos
HONS 3990
30 April, 2012
Rosie‟s Revolution:
How Rosie the Riveter Became a Marketing Icon on the WWII Home Front
Under interdisciplinary studies, connections can be drawn between the field of marketing
and art. Marketing is a field that attempts to create a commodity that appeals to consumers. It
uses research and psychology to observe and analyze consumer reactions and seeks to fulfill
them through the marketing of a good. From the art aspect, paintings, such as “Rosie the
Riveter,” can be interconnected with the marketing field. Painted in 1943, the artwork became a
marketing symbol for the WWII home front in America (Aoki, 437). By examining the art piece,
“Rosie the Riveter,” painted by Norman Rockwell, through a marketing lens, several connections
can be analyzed. Through the analysis of “Rosie the Riveter,” three elements will be explored.
This paper will seek to discuss why “Rosie the Riveter” gained extensive popularity in the
1940‟s and pinpoint how certain features of the painting can be related to its marketing success.
Finally, Rockwell‟s painting will be analyzed as an influence and a reflection of societal values,
and its role in the reinforcing of marketplace ideologies will be defined.
A Country at War
Towards the mid-20th century, the nation was engaged in one of the most tragic wars in
world history. While the outcome of World War II created drastic change for the globe
politically and economically, a wave of social reform began to hit the nation. Women, the
emerging „untapped workforce‟ began to fight for their right to work, after they lost their
positions held during the war (Kimble, 88). Through the late forties, due to the after effects of
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WWII, a women‟s social reform movement had started that would question the social
stigmatization of female gender roles at the time.
During World War II, while the men were at war, a powerful transformation was
happening on the home front. In order to have enough “manpower” to keep the war going, the
nation called for women to come to the workplace (Kimble, 88). As any nation in a wartime
state, the United States did what had to be done to win the war while keeping the country stable.
Women were encouraged to take on the role of their husbands and brothers in the workplace.
They participated in everything from building planes to playing baseball for the sake of keeping
the nation afoot. Despite the hard work put forth by these employees to defend the home front, at
the end of the war, the women were expected to return to their roles as proper American women.
While the war created opportunity for women to work, it also brought to light the social
restrictions of the nation during this time.
From Painting to Poster
This social reform movement, previous begun near the start of WWII, was propelled
through the successful marketing campaign of Norman Rockwell‟s Rosie the Riveter. This art
piece, an oil painting on canvas, was submitted, like many other Rockwell designs, to the
Saturday Evening Post (Mendelson, 169). Normal Rockwell, as a description of Rosie and other
Post covers, says “without thinking too much about it in specific terms, I was showing the
America I knew and observed to others who might not have noticed.” Following this idea,
Rockwell painted in order to reflect images he saw happening in the country and bring attention
to them through publication. The placement in the Saturday Evening Post is also non-accidental.
Rockwell states the Post is the “greatest show window in America,” (169). By publishing his
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ideas in such an “American” magazine, he felt he was able to share his “observations” with the
rest of the nation regarding the power of women in the workforce.
This American magazine made Rosie a household name overnight with its printing and
distribution on May 19, 1943 (Kimble & Olson, 554). The painting and magazine cover featured
a young woman adorned in work overalls with a strong build. She has a rivet gun in one hand
and a sandwich in the other as she steps on a war enemy propaganda. Historians assume this
striking image and overall conception of Rosie was used to encourage women working to work
harder and to persuade those who hadn‟t gotten a job to join the workforce (555). The image
gained such a positive reception, the government rented the right to use it as the face of war bond
after its printing. Its mass production made it a marketing icon of the decade.
The issue of women‟s rights in the workplace was already a rising social trend during the
release of the painting. The painting‟s origin stems from a popular song of the time named Rosie
the Riveter. The fictional character, herself, was representative of the hard-working woman
(Aoki, 438). “She‟s making history, working for victory: Rosie the riveter,” (438). With lyrics
promoting the American nature of women working, the idea of “Rosie” was already prevalent in
the citizens‟ minds. Rockwell‟s nature to portray what he observes fits this situation respectively.
Using the visions and ideas already present in the population, he created an image that accurately
portrayed the will of the people resulting in the success of this painting as a social icon. With its
universal appeal and beautiful artistic style, the cover represented and empowered the growing
social movement. From its release in the Saturday Evening Post, there is no question that “Rosie
the Riveter” became an instant symbol on the WWII home front.
Rosie‟s Success
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While it‟s clear that Norman Rockwell‟s Rosie the Riveter was a served as a poster face
for social change, this was not simply through its art style or visual appeal. The elements of the
image can be studied through a marketing context that will reveal why it was able to sustain as a
profitable icon. By analyzing how the painting fits into marketing perspectives and theories, the
business aspect of Rosie‟s reception can be seen. When a product is marketed, marketer follow a
basic set of marketing principles casually named the “Four P‟s” of marketing. By analyzing
“Rosie the Riveter” as an image regarding product, place, price, and promotion, the success of
the painting as a marketing icon is revealed. The basis for all marketing techniques relies on the
Four P‟s. These tools are the aspects about a good that marketers can control (Tadajewski, 775).
. The idea encompasses a successful marketing campaign is all about outing the right product, in
the right place, and the right price, at the right time. Using these four elements of marketing,
Rosie the Riveter‟s success can be examined.
The “product” in this case would be the issue of social change. In order to “sell” women
as part of the workforce, the most important element would be promotion. Within this,
promotion can be subdivided in another set of the Four P‟s (Tadajewski, 775). First off, and
often most important is product. This regards to the attributes and design of the product. In this
case, the product is Rockwell‟s painting. By creating a quality piece of art, Rockwell represented
the female workforce through his design. Place is most literally where a product image is place;
how it‟s distributed (776). In the event of Rosie, its use in the Saturday Evening Post and
government bonds made it a more popular image than ever. By placing the design in these
strategic locations, the image was widely distributed. The price refers to the “amount of value
that is provided” for a customer (776). In other words, it‟s providing a good that consumers
would be willing to purchase. Purchasing is not necessarily the exchange of money for goods; it
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involves value transfer. In this regard, the average citizen would need to we willing to invest the
energy to read, understand, interpret, or in some cases purchase Rosie‟s image and message.
Finally, promotion is portraying the product message publically (776). This element seeks to find
what makes Rosie the Riveter meaningful for the target audience. By understanding the values of
society, marketers can create icons such as Rosie the Riveter that reflect these values and
promote a marketplace transformation.
By further analyzing the literal component features of the art piece, a relation between
them and Rosie‟s marketing success can be identified. The physique of the character in the image
represents a new “brand” of woman (Shaw, 492). Rosie‟s large arms, firm build and tan skin
give her the appearance of a man‟s body cropped with a female‟s head. This character design for
a woman was representative of the woman that would soon emerge from the social movement
(492). Her actions in the work also reflect the manly theme. Gripping a sandwich in one hand
and a rivet gun in the other and stepping on German war propaganda, it becomes difficult for the
public eye to identify her as more than a radically different character. By challenging the
preconceptions of what a woman should and should do, these actions of Rosie reinvent what is
appropriate for the American woman. Along with Rosie‟s physique and actions, the posture of
the woman works to combat a negatively view of the new type of woman. The posture shows a
proud and dignified female identifying that working at the time did not mean one had to stop
being a lady. It shows there is no shame in the creation of the new woman increasing her appeal
to the masses. The final element of the image that reflected the change in women in a social
status was its Patriotic background. The red, white and blue stars and stripes are a powerful
American symbol, especially during a wartime era. By playing on this sentimental feeling, Rosie
the Riveter assisted in the enforcing of the idea that women working is an American ideology.
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The analysis of the art piece‟s individual elements makes up the basic “product” concept. Her
design, whether intended or not, portrays a new type of American woman that can be seen
through the details of Rosie the Riveter.
The Irremediable Ideologies
With Rosie the Riveter‟s rebranding of the American female came a change in the social
stigma regarding the role of women in society. Through her image was born a set of marketplace
ideologies. An ideology can be defined as set of ideas that constitutes one‟s goals, expectations,
and actions. During the WWII era, the values regarding women became questionable. Prior to
the decade, the proper American woman was seen as a prim and proper housewife that was to
keep the husband in order while the husband went to work (Kimble, 86). When the men left to
war, the nation had to look for the current majority population: the women. From the moment
women were encouraged to enter the workforce, the stigma surrounding the role of women was
shifted (Shaw, 492). Through the distribution of Rosie the Riveter in the marketplace, which was
saturated with women, the women to work movement continued to flourish. The marketplace is
conceived of as providing lifestyle and identity instructions. From this definition, the image of
Rosie in the marketplace provided a new type of lifestyle for women that was reflected through
the social movement.
Marketers tend to channel and reproduce consumers‟ thoughts and actions in such a way
as to defend dominant interests in society (Tadajewski, 774). In other words, by observing
consumer behavior, marketers create and reinforce ideologies in the marketplace. Marketplace
ideologies examine normative messages commercial media transmits about consumption. It also
looks at how consumers make sense of these messages and formulate critical responses (Shaw,
494). By assessing the situation— women being ushered into the workforce—the distribution of
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Rosie the Riveter was timed appropriately. During a period of society when women were already
changing, the media message reflecting their values in the form of motivation gave the female
population of the nation enough gusto to keep the country afloat (Kimble & Olson, 554).
With the media distribution of the image of Rosie, more doors began to open in the
nation. These marketplace ideologies were instilled, shifting the view of women‟s role in society.
In 1944, there were 1.7 million men to 4.2 million women between the ages of 20-34 working on
the defense force (Aoki, 439). This clear majority statistically shows the radical change that had
occurred on the home front. From Rosie‟s publication in 1943, her inspirational social movement
nearly doubled the number of working American women. The number of jobs deemed
“acceptable” for women also increased significantly (438). In the span of half a year, the
percentage of acceptable jobs grew from 29 percent to 85 percent (438). The need for a
workforce during the wartime era also blurred the racial barrier. For the sake of the war effort,
black and white women worked side by side, encouraging the breakdown of racial social
barriers. Through the widespread distribution, meaningful values, and appropriate representation
of the population, Rosie the Riveter‟s influence allowed for a transformation regarding social
ideologies through the marketplace.
For the United States during the WWII, Norman Rockwell‟s “Rosie the Riveter” became
a marketing symbol for women on the home front. Through a marketing lens, the painting‟s
characteristics, such as the distribution of the Post and Rosie‟s demeanor, can be used to analyze
why “Rosie the Riveter” was so successful as a marketing icon. By changing the marketplace
ideologies questioning roles appropriate for women at the time, Rosie symbolized a social
transformation on the American front through the elements of marketing.
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Works Cited
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