Rosie the Riveter is an enduring emblem of empowerment for women everywhere.  When former housewives turned the table on traditional roles, going to work in factories during World War II to take over positions left vacant by military-bound men, they became a vital part of the American war effort.  Operating machinery and manning assembly lines, they were responding to a sense of patriotic duty—little did they know they were making history and inspiring the advancement of women’s economic contributions for generations to come. Over the last seven decades, Rosie has come to embody the spirit of service and sense of honor that compelled American women to action in a time of crisis.  Women everywhere who respond to the call of service with selflessness participation, who defy expectation, status and stereotype, ensure the continued relevance of the Rosie legacy.  Her bare-armed boldness and red bandana remain a timeless testament to the can-do sentiment and against-all-odds attitude that are cornerstones of the American character. “Rosie the Riveter” made her debut in a 1942 song of the same name written by Redd Evans and John Jacob Loeb.   The song was said to be inspired by a real-life Rosie, Rosalind P. Walter, a wealthy woman  who worked the night shift in a factory  making fighter planes to support the war effort. We recently received an inquiry about the history of Rosie and the Ad Council, and sifting through the archives we stumbled upon an interesting discovery:  contrary to popular belief, J. Howard Miller’s classic “We Can Do It” poster featuring a bicep-baring Rosie, which has often been associated with our famous WWII ‘Womanpower Recruitment Campaign’, was in fact not created for The War Advertising Council (now known as the Ad Council). The poster was actually produced by the Westinghouse Company’s corporate War Production Coordinating Committee.  Though the image came to be known as “Rosie the Riveter,” the poster never had an official name during the war. (more…)