Amelia Earhart:
Born in Kansas, in 1897, Amelia Earhart was only the 16th woman to be issued with a pilot's licence and the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, in 1932. She was a popular figure until her disappearance in 1937, while on a flight.
As Candice Fleming mentions in her account of Earhart's life and disappearance, 'Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart', Amelia Earhart was a celebrity up until her disappearance in 1937, with an image to maintain. During the 1920s and 1930s, the only prominent female celebrities tended to be actresses or singers. What made Earhart unique, was that she rose to fame in an 'unfeminine' occupation usually dominated by men. In addition, her celebrity status, meant that unlike many women at the time, she had a distinct image and expectation to maintain, meaning she also had something valuable to lose, should she fail to do so. This is important in the improvement of women's status in the U.S., because Earhart hadn't simply settled down into the profitless role of a wife, mother or 'angel of the house'. Earhart followed her passion, rather than conforming to what was expected of women. This is a crucial factor as to why she has been idolised by so many women throughout many women's rights movements, as she inspired women to try and become whatever they wanted, just like she had done.
Earhart's life growing up is also something that can be viewed as somewhat inspirational as well. She spent a lot of her youth without a strong male figure, as her father was an alcoholic, who never managed to maintain sobriety so he could provide for his family. This may have been a key factor as to why Earhart did succeed, as she didn't have a man telling her she couldn't do what she wanted to do with her life.
Overall Amelia Earhart was an inspirational figure in the improvement of women's status in the U.S. and remains to this day, important in the development of tolerance towards women in male dominated work places.
'Hidden Figures':
'Hidden Figures' is a 2016 biographical/drama film, focusing on three female African American mathematicians who worked for NASA. Set in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the events of 'Hidden Figures' largely surround Alan Shepard's 1961 spaceflight, which was the first time the USA had successfully put a man in space. Each of the mathematicians, Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, played their own important part in this event in American history and in the progression of African American women's rights in NASA.
From the start of the film, the audience is made aware of the obvious racial prejudices that there were at the time towards African Americans. An early scene in the film depicts a police officer pulling up next to the mathematicians' car and needing to thoroughly check their identification when they revealed they, three African American women, worked for NASA, which at the time was seen as a pioneering organisation that represented the future of America. There are constant other racial references in the film, especially regarding segregation. However, despite race being a topic in the film, gender is also very relevant.
Dorothy Vaughan often has an awkward relationship with Kirten Dunst's fictional character, Vivian Mitchell, a white woman, who is supposed to represent the common feelings of most white women towards the African American department at NASA in this period. She occupies a higher role than Dorothy and whenever Dorothy needs something, she has to speak to Vivian. It is this relationship that highlights the hardship faced by women at this time. Vivian repeatedly denies Dorothy almost all of her requests throughout the film, despite not displaying any true discriminatory feelings. This highlights that fact that although she is in a better position than most of the African American employees, she does not have a large amount of influence in NASA, which of course was dominated by men in the most important positions.
One of the most progressive elements to this film and the historical event, is to do with Katherine Johnson. In 1956, Johnson's husband died of a brain tumour, leaving her and her three children and elderly mother to survive by themselves. This would have been difficult for a white woman at this time, so for a black woman to be able to maintain a job, while taking care of her family, is an enormous achievement. She remarried in 1959, but the film takes a lot of time to portray her life in the aftermath of her husband's death, and she is depicted as a strong independent woman, who would have been an inspiration to those around her, as would her two colleagues, Vaughan and Jackson.
Lastly, it is important to note that this film was a critical and box office success, highlighting the contrast with the era in which the film was set and today's society. According to IMDB, the film had a budget of $25 million dollars and as of 24th March, 2017, had grossed $167,046,872 in the U.S. alone. In addition, out of over 66,000 reviews, IMDB had given the film a 7.9/10 rating, which suggests generally favourable reviews. 'Hidden Figures' score on Rotten Tomatoes also implies that critics and the public enjoyed the film with 93% of critics writing positive reviews for it, out of 228 reviews. It also has a 93% 'liked it' score from over 48,000 reviews from the public. The point here, is that there is obviously a lot of contemporary support for this film and the story it tells. Personally, I had not heard of these women, and their roles in the space race. Furthermore, when researching this as a topic to discuss, a lot of the material available, had only been published in more recent years, suggesting they truly were 'Hidden Figures' and this film was really needed to inform people of their important role in American history and the improvement of the status of women, as well as African Americans.
References:
http://www.biography.com/people/amelia-earhart-9283280
Fleming, C., Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart, (New York, 2011).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_official_poster_for_the_film_Hidden_Figures,_2016.jpg
https://www.nasa.gov/content/katherine-johnson-biography
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4846340/
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hidden_figures/
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