Tow #5 - We Can Do It Advertisement

In 1942, artist J. Howard Miller from the city of Pittsburg, PA was hired by the Westinghouse Company’s War Production Coordinating Committee to create a series of posters to help boost moral during the War. One of these posters became the famous “We Can Do It!” poster Miller based his “We Can Do It!” poster on a United Press photograph taken of Michigan factory worker Geraldine Doyle.  Its only intent was to help recruit women to join the work force.  The poster was not initially seen much beyond one Midwest Westinghouse factory where it was displayed for two weeks in February 1942.  In later years, and in fact up to present times, these images have became iconic symbols of women’s rights struggles, and are occasionally adapted for other political campaigns as well.  The poster effectively creates a sense of nationalism and appeals to pathos. During times when women were not viewed as equals, it gave a sense of pride for women. The poster tells women, “while our men are away fighting, we can still support the through this war by joining a workforce to help the military.” With a woman showing the classic bicep flex, it says “were women, but we can still be strong.” It also appeals to ethos because although it is not the original speaker, it looks as though another everyday woman is trying to rally up women. Having a girl as the poster image effectively allows women to connect to the poster because, obviously, they are also women. If the author used a man to convey his message on his poster, it would not have worked as well. Miller made a smart choice by making it seem other women wanted women to join the WWII work force, not the government, which at the time was mainly men.