Women of the Future
When thinking about the future, we often find ourselves with expectations that involve unrealistic material objects such as flying cars and time machines. As innovative and advanced as we are in today’s day and age, it almost seems as though flying cars could actually be a norm. Sorry to say, we all know that it most likely won’t work out. On the contrary, the people of our past had different views on what our society would be like today. Aside from new technologies, societies such as those in the 1940’s had a very dissimilar hypothesis on what the world, specifically focusing on women, would be like in the future. Women and gender roles have always played a large part of every historical time period since the beginning of mankind. Women are always portrayed as the “weak” gender because women are supposed to supply what is expected of them: kids, meals, and housework. However, when women are allowed to have their voice heard and give their five cents worth of opinion, they’re a lot stronger, smarter and significant than the gender roles they've had placed on them. Pulp Magazines, such as the “Fantastic Adventures” series printed in 1941, show a great emphasis on women and the way they are belittled and shown as the victim when analyzing their popular magazine covers from the past.
The golden age American Pulp Magazines often stand out for their vivid illustrations on the front cover that instantly have an eye-catching affect. Most Pulp magazines provide an overview of the topic illustrated that reflects their main three ingredients in pulp stories. These three being action, adventure and sex. There are several genres such as fiction, horror and romance. The magazines were designed based on the cultural phenomena and worldview that the people in the time of the release believed. The cover from “Fantastic Adventures,” March 1941, titled “Slaves of the Fish Men”, illustrates a very bizarre hint from the past. In the center of the cover, there is a merman-like fish with green human-like legs that end with webbed feet and arms resembling that of a frog. However, this fishy creature is holding a woman wearing a toga-like peach draped dress. She seems to be unconscious based on her closed eyes and limp body who is not refusing to be dragged into the water with it as they are a mere foot away from being submerged. One man in particular, wearing the same style cave man toga outfit from the same silky peach material as the woman is moving toward her as though he is trying to rescue her from this ‘fish-man’ creature that has taken over her control. These magazines often depict women as weak and in need of someone to save them because of the era that they were in. The cover from “Fantastic Adventures,” May 1941, titled “Land of the Shadow Dragons”, show a man and a woman who seem to be escaping the danger of a wild dragon. The woman, on the floor with one hand tucked behind her back seems as though she might be injured with one leg tucked back, holding her fragile body up by handling all her bodies weight on her other hand that is pressed against the arm of a fallen plane. The man, however, is covering her as though he is sacrificing himself before the animal in return for the life of the girl.
Together, the covers of the pulp magazines have a woman that needs to be rescued. In both cases, she has a male figure trying to ensure her safety. The way the pulp magazines depict women in the future reflected the attitudes and beliefs they had about women in their own time. This is because women in their own time were still viewed as inferior. The Civil Rights and Women's Liberation movements had not happened yet, therefore, leaving women to remain powerless and belittled. Because the 1940's were dominated by World War II, in 1942 congress authorized women to serve in the U.S. Navy. Women later worked factory, labor intensive jobs and became popular in the entertainment industry. They were needed to replace men who had gone off to war; therefore, women's roles and expectations in society were changing rapidly. This was a prosperous time in women's history in the 1940's because the amount of women in the workforce increased by over twenty-five percent. The men were at war and someone, the women, had to step up and take the man's place.
Women's roles in society have become more equal to those of men. Women have to step up to the plate when given the chance because otherwise they won't be able to prove themselves and show their worth. Unfortunately, at one point or another, everyone has been judged before given the chance to prove themselves or have someone walk a mile in their shoes. It happens every day to normal people like you and I, celebrities, women of the past and women of the future. Because there is such a strong emphasis on women becoming powerful, there are so many modern day examples of them being the alpha-female in movies, comics and TV shows. One prime example is Katniss Everdeen, in The Hunger Games. She was viewed as a weak competitor for being a young female who lived in poverty. However, during the games, she outlasted other competitors by using her clever ideas and useful hunting techniques that no one thought she would have. Because she was so confident in herself while everyone else lost faith in her, she was able to win the games and prosper.
In conclusion, women have been downgraded for so long that it has become a normal tradition to believe they’re not good enough, strong enough, or worthy enough. That time ends now. The women of our society today have greatly earned their place. Hard work and dedication to businesses and even trying to become president has taken the toll on communities around the world. Pulp Magazines had a vision of the women they thought would represent their future; however, the women in our present have greatly proven that they are not underdogs. Although gender roles will never disappear, we can start diminishing them ourselves by accepting and allowing everyone to share their talents, ambitions, and opinions.
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1954." National Parks Service. U.S.
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