Here’s Angela Ardetto’s story about wearing her red and white polka dot bandana.

I was Rosie the Riveter for Halloween. It was a huge success….I got a lot of compliments.  I got the idea from the Pink Video “Raise Your Glass” and researched Rosie from that and was even more intrigued about the story behind Rosie!  I’m thrilled that I ordered the original bandana from your company and how gracious you were about getting it to me in time.  Thanks again!

Although many women enjoy wearing their Rosie the Riveter red and white polka dot bandana throughout the year, Halloween in a special time to show it off. Today we continue our series
of posts that tell you the stories behind the decision that some women made to wear our Rosie the Riveter Legacy Bandana. We were impressed and think you will find them interesting as well

This story comes from Heather Minenna:

I was a hit on Halloween! As for my choice of costume, here goes:

Rosie the Riveter is a heroine, someone who symbolizes strength and empowerment to all women. She gave all women hope when there wasn’t even a gleam to hold onto. This is the first time I had ever dressed up for Halloween in my entire adult life (mind you, I am 33). When I saw her I knew I wanted to be her because she was someone I could relate to. I think that is why this costume worked so well for me.
 
Thanks again Rosies Daughters for making this day great for me!!

By the way, on our Women’s Memoirs website, we’re featuring words that first appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary during World War II. They are fascinating and fun. We post a new word almost every day. Be sure to check them out.

Many women enjoy wearing their Rosie the Riveter red and white polka dot bandana throughout the year. Today we want to share with you the story behind an all-female robotics team — wearing their Rosie the Riveter Legacy Bandanas.

The story is told by Candace Schneggenburger, one of the high school team’s coaches. Actually, she was a coach to the school’s first ever all girls robotics team. She told me that the “Team’s identity is tied to Rosie’s ‘We can do it!’ attitude.” She coached the 20-girl team (out of a school of 700 students).

The girls had an AWESOME time competing with our robot on Friday, December 2! They were the only all girls team at the event out of 24 teams. They even made the local evening news. I’ve attached the link to the video clip and some pictures.

The Rosie the Riveter Legacy Bandanas were an awesome addition to our team and we used the “We Can Do It!” slogan frequently. We also used one of the bandanas to cover our engineering notebook!

Candace Schneggenburger
District Lead Science Teacher
Palmyra-Macedon High School
Palmyra, NY

In addition to photos of the team at work, Candace also shared a news clip. We hope you also enjoy seeing the team.

Although many women enjoy wearing their Rosie the Riveter red and white polka dot bandana throughout the year, Halloween in a special time to show it off. Today we are beginning a series
of posts that tell you the story behind the decision that some women made to wear our Rosie the Riveter Legacy Bandana. We were impressed and think you will find them interesting.

I had heard about Rosie as I grew up, but I was introduced to her on a much more personal level when I took a group to visit the USS BATFISH SUBMARINE in Muskogee, OK.  It was then that I had a real understanding of the demand that was laid upon our American ladies and the results we provided…it was a moment that gave me true pleasure to be a woman. It was good to see, when our nation was at a vulnerable point, it was the women of America that put the strength in our feet, our legs, our muscle and in our backbone.  

My generation, and my daughters’ generation, did not have the demands Rosie faced. We actually had an overflow of convenience. But I can still relate to her image and how important it is to work hard, with our mind and bodies, supporting our men, our children, our nation to be the best it can be from the very inside out.

From the days of old, even back in the Old Testament, a woman of virtue was not one who just looked pretty and kept house, but one who was in the work force on various levels, supporting all who were around her, with her wisdom and with her skills. In my world, I work alongside my husband doing whatever it takes to make our dreams, our lives, and our world a better place.

I’d like to think there’s a bit of Rosie in me, and in my three daughters as well. WE CAN DO IT!!

Grace to you always,
Rebecca Olstroem

Whenever I read about a Rosie’s Daughter, a woman born between 1940 and 1945, I tuck the article into a file folder. I like the longevity of the careers and aspirations and contributions of these amazing women. Recently, I read an article in The Wall Street Journal about the void left by Oprah Winfrey’s departure from daytime television. It seems there are several who want to grab that audience — Dr. Phil, Regis and Kelly, Ellen Degeneres, Anderson Cooper and Katie Couric.

But who has actually increased in viewership? None of the names I just mentioned. Instead, it is Judge Judy who continues to gain viewers and who has the largest number of daytime viewers in the 25-54 age range. She has more than 2.75 million.

Judge Judy is an example of so many of Rosie’s Daughters, those women born during World War II, who continue to excel at what they do. I have now interviewed more women from this generation that Kendra and I call “The First Woman To” Generation to look at the decade of their 60s and their goals for their 70s. We’ll soon release a new version of Rosie’s Daughters: The “First Woman To” Generation that will continue the new chapter about these women’s lives.

NOTE: Some of you have sent us emails about our Rosie the Riveter Legacy Bandana. Yes, we still have some and are shipping Priority Mail so that you can have one for your Halloween costume. Show the world you’re an empowered woman. To order, just click here.

While conducting research for our collective memoir, Rosie’s Daughters, I read the story of Bernadine Healy and even mentioned her in our book. Bernadine Healy was one of the “First Woman To” generation of women — born during World War II.

A renowned cardiologist, Healy earned her degree from the Harvard School of Medicine. Like many other women in the Rosie’s Daughters generation, she had few role models and had to make it in a man’s world. For example, she was one of only ten women out of 120 students in her class.

Healy eventually became the first woman to serve as director of the National Institutes of Health. During her tenure there, she was responsible for the first serious focus on women’s health, looking into health concerns of women from mid-life on. Known as the Women’s Health Initiative, this $500 million program that extended over 10 years did much to bring attention to women’s health issues that researchers had previously ignored.

On August 6, Bernadine Healy died at the age of 67. Click here to read more her life story.

Who are these women and why are they wearing Rosie the Riveter bandanas? This is one of two great photos that we received a few days ago. Want to know more? Just click here. We’ve written the full story on our Women’s Memoirs website.

What have Rosie’s Daughters been doing? That’s the question that Kendra Bonnett and I have been investigating. I’ve just finished interviews with a number of Rosie’s Daughters in order to look at the decade of their 60s, the decade between the initial interviews in 2000 and 2010. We’ve been eager to examine both the ten years that have just passed as well as the expectations and aspirations for the coming decade.

While doing my research, I noted the loss of one special Rosie Daughter mentioned in the first edition of this book — Jill Clayburgh. She died November 5 last year. You may have noticed the news story. But if you didn’t, she had chronic leukemia for 21 years before dying of complications of the disease. This means she must have been diagnosed about ten years after starring in the 1978 Oscar-nominated An Unmarried Woman, a movie that meant a lot to many of us in the Rosie’s Daughters generation.

I found a quote from Clayburgh that seems particularly appropriate for all of us to consider, independent of our age. She said, “Happiness is, as Freud said, love and work.”

Clayburgh loved her work as an actor and strove to perfection, a state we never achieve but a goal worth pursuing. She also had a close family and found much love there. I’m glad she found happiness and wish all our readers success in both love and work.

Want to know more about memoir writing? Kendra and I took our experiences from writing a memoir and teaching memoir writing and have created a website designed for women who are interested in creating their own life legacy for their family. To visit that site, click here.

Rosie the Riveter has inspired women for decades. Young women. Older women. Her children. Her grandchildren. Even men. She is our reminder — that quiet voice telling us that indeed, We Can Do It!

There was a real face behind J. Howard Miller’s now-famous World War II. That was the face of Geraldine Hoff (later Doyle). Her photograph was taken by a news wire cameraman while she was working and later chosen by Miller as the inspiration for the poster he created.

Want to know more? Visit our blog on Women’s Memoirs.

Let’s all honor Geraldine Hoff Doyle by living the strength, courage, and empowerment that she represents.

Click Here to visit our Rosie the Riveter’s Store for Rosie’s Bandanas, Rosie’s Mugs, and our collective memoir, Rosie’s Daughters.

Kendra and I hope you enjoy this delightful video with pictures — World War II and current — of women wearing their Rosie the Riveter bandanas. We’ve included posters from WWII and pictures of women who have bought our Rosie the Riveter bandanas. Click on the link below to go to our store where you can get your own Rosie’s Bandanas, Rosie’s Mugs, and even our award-winning collective memoir about Rosie the Riveter’s Daughters — Rosie’s Daughters, the generation of women born during WWII.

Click Here to visit our Rosie the Riveter’s Store for Rosie’s Bandanas, Rosie’s Mugs, and our collective memoir, Rosie’s Daughters.