Totally Awesome Women

 

We all know the basic story surrounding this Totally Awesome Woman’s mysterious disappearance.  But did you know she was a member of the National Woman’s Party and she also staged numerous protests for equal employment?  Can you name this TAW?

 

 

She’s Amelia Earhart!

 

Some of you may be wondering why I chose such a blatant feminist to write about since I normally write posts about people whose names don’t normally come to mind when you hear the term “feminist.”  However, before I caught this article  from the CSM (of all places), Amelia Earhart was not on the top of my list for avid feminists.  I knew she set tons of aviation records for men and women during her career as a pilot, but I never put the pieces together.  It’s for this reason I think she needs to be recognized as a TAW.

 

From her childhood on, Amelia Earhart rejected gender norms.  She was referred to as a “tomboy” because she would run around in pants so that she could participate in shooting, sports, and other outdoorsy activities.  Personally, I think that’s just practical!  She also kept a scrapbook of newspaper clippings about all of the TAWs of her time, ranging from lawyers to movie stars (awesome? I think yes).    Upon reflection of her unusual childhood, Earhart seemed to shrug it off saying something like, “Well, I should be allowed to do anything a boy can do.”

 

 

According to this website put together by her family, Earhart’s parents might have inadvertently contributed to their daughter’s early independence.  Their marriage was rocky because her father struggled to support his family financially.   Because of this, Earhart vowed to never be financially dependent on a man.  She wanted to earn her own money (and she did!).

 

When she was a young adult, Earhart took a variety of jobs.  She was a nurse’s aid in Canada during the First World War.  She was also a social worker.  While working, she made enough money to purchase her first airplane and pay her way through flying school.  Ok.  Hold the phone.  I think that deserves to be said again.  Early 1900s.  Young woman.  Buys own plane and lessons.  To me, the thought that she would even get that far in that time period is great! But she didn’t stop there.

 

 

 

Amelia Earhart broke tons of aviation records in the 1920s and 1930s for men and women.  She was second only to Charles Lindberg in flying solo across the Atlantic.  I don’t want to fly solo anywhere much less the Atlantic!  I can’t even walk across campus without tripping over my own feet and looking like a complete disaster….

 

Maybe it’s just my utter ineptitude at basic things like walking, but I think Amelia Earhart is starting to sound pretty great.  But wait, there’s more!

 

In 1931, Earhart married her publicist, George Putnam.  At this point in my research, I just about LMFAO’d all over the place (trust me, it wasn’t pretty).  Did you know that Amelia referred to her marriage as a partnership with “duel control”?  That may not sound that novel BUT lest we forget the reason it doesn’t sound new is because these ladies paved the way for modern duel control.  AND, she publicized that exact phrasing in newspapers.  AND, before the wedding, she wrote her soon-to-be a letter outlining that she did not expect him to have to/want to/need to be faithful and she expected the same for herself.  Is this not a COMPLETE REJECTION OF NORMS?  Sorry.  I get a little excited about gender norms (awkward?).

 

Anyways, if you didn’t think AE was not only a leading lady in aviation, but also for women, get this:

 

*Another female pilot quit her job because the airline said she wasn’t “physically strong enough” to fly a plane in bad weather (haven’t heard that one before).

 

Amelia’s response: Staged a massive protest in D.C. for women’s equality in aviation.

 

*There wasn’t enough representation of women in aviation.  There also weren’t resources for women to be independent and have professional lives.

 

Amelia’s response: Founded the Ninety-Nines, an organization for female pilots that garnered tons of support on women in aviation.

AND, check out these unprompted bits of awesome-ness:

 

*Became an aviation faculty member at Purdue University (even though she never finished her degree!).

 

*Was not referred to as Mrs. Putnam; however her husband was referred to as Mr. Earhart.  BOOM!

 

* Wrote 3 books on her experiences!  One!  Two! Three!

 

*If all that wasn’t good enough, she had her own luggage line.

 

So, I hope you all learned at least one new thing about this completely, definitely, Totally Awesome Woman.   BUT, what I want to know now is what do YOU think?

 

Amelia Earhart: Fly Feminist?  You decide.