“We (All) Can Do It!”

This image is a play-off of the “We can do it!” poster featuring Rosie the Riveter. It was a popular pro-war advertisement during World War II, and is still seen today on t-shirts and posters. The depiction of a strong woman on the poster was uncommon at the time and has become an iconic symbol of strength and motivation. At a time where men were displayed as the strong, powerful heroes as soldiers during the war, a white woman portraying these kinds of characteristics was perceived as radical. The showcasing of a woman on a poster like this, attempted to challenge the stereotypes that women are fragile and weak beings. By featuring a woman at the forefront of this message, they are thus “covered” in terms of defeating the gender stereotype. However, this is not the case as the woman is white, and therefore, excludes women of other races. This is a classic example of intersectionality. This alternative image, that plays on the original, defies those constraints of excluding people with multiple minority intersections. The people displayed on this version of the poster are not only women but are Hispanic, African American, and Muslim. These women are more inclusively represented and shown as just as strong and independent as the white “Rosie the Riveter”.

I created this image on Microsoft Word using text boxes and the “Picture” formatting tools. I found my image on Google Images and immediately gravitated to it because of the spin off of the classic “We Can Do It!” picture. The colors are really eye catching and I loved the message it sent without even having any kind of language attached it. I thought the quote fit perfectly with the image because the white woman traditionally associated with the picture, was replaced with a more diverse group of women and really represented intersectionality.