“They are the men who are not brought up but are obliged to come up.” These are the words Frederick Douglass used to describe the age-old archetype of America’s “self-made man.” The lone figure, who has just arrived in the land of opportunity. He strives to own his own piece of land and live off it, to sling the deer he has just hunted over his shoulder and take it home to the family dinner table. In this country of immigrants, anyone can make it. Or so the American dream has told us for years.
But there is something missing in this picture. The self-made woman. Her powerful form is so often over-shadowed by stereotype. Like any other country, America has churned out its fair share of women assembled, very obviously, by anyone but themselves. The blonde Hollywood hoards have filled our cinema and TV screens for years. They’ve even wiggled their way into our newspapers so we can drool over their carefully tailored dresses. Again, a garment very definitely put together by a third party with the intention of impressing anyone but the uncomfortable woman wearing it.
But probably the most glaring example of this type of manufacturing of the female is the Miss America contest. This is a cultural phenomenon, especially in the South. Although this year’s winner, Mallory Hagan, was attributed to Brooklyn, N.Y., she was born in Tennessee and brought up here in Alabama. The myth of the Southern Belle. She is honoured for a prancing around, scantily clad in a bathing suit and beamed out to TV sets across America whilst rolling off a four point plan to world peace, only to end up promoting products in a Dairy Queen – as the last Miss America did.
(See also in Opinion “Respecting the shifting gender roles, bringing women into combat”)
Of course, the Miss America title does come with a hefty scholarship, and many of these women do make successful careers out of it. But the pageant is becoming outdated. Viewing rates have dropped dramatically over the past few years. And in this waning popularity, she is finally leaving a little room for the more admirable form of the self-made woman to enter the stage. We can begin to praise those females who have made the most of the fruits this country has to offer, even, if the ripeness is subject to unpredictable weather.
It all began with Harriet Beecher Stowe. As the author of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” she added fuel to the abolitionist movement and went on to build up a lifetime’s worth of literary works. This was due to the fact that a third of all American college undergraduates were women in the 1880s. A remarkably high percentage compared to other universities outside of the U.S. around this time.
And this tradition of educated women is perhaps most obvious today in the high public profile of Hilary Clinton. Here stands a female figure of great political power, even triggering talks of the first female president – although this look likes a long and still rocky road to follow for a good few more years.
The image of this strong, self-made woman was consolidated further at a recent dinner I attended, honouring the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. though the “Realizing the Dream program” here at the University. The guest lecturer and 2007 Pulitzer prize winning journalist, Cynthia Tucker, reminded the audience that we still have a long way to go before we fully realise that community and closeness will provide the courage we need to keep this country alive.
But she also reminded us that the self-made woman is very much thriving. Thinking back to those crowned women in swimwear and the apron-wearing housewives of the 50s commercials living on a diet of curtain-twitching and home baking, the present looks a little different. Cynthia Tucker’s words commanded a room full of successful men. A driven and intellectual woman who has utilized America’s opportunity and democracy to gain an education and make something of herself.
Sometimes it’s good to step back and remind ourselves about the importance of the female position in the 21st century.
Leading in today’s Crimson White:
[Opinion] Police your own – greeks shouldn’t be afraid to speak up
