"Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail their failure must be but a challenge to others." - Amelia Earheart
A few months ago, I published a piece on feminism here on this very blog. A majority of you all seemed to like it. However, many people are ignorant and view feminism in a negative perspective. According to Merriam Webster, feminism is defined as the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes. I am very proud to declare myself a feminist and want to put this platform to use. Feminism has been around since the year 1848 and is now even more significant than ever. I could not think of a better way to advocate for feminism on this blog than to start a series on Très Chic, that sheds a light on wondrous women throughout history who have gone on to achieve incredible and phenomenal things. The first woman that came to my mind was the one and only, Amelia Earheart. Recently, a photograph that was taken in 1937 on the Marshall Islands was released. What's so special about this very photo you ask? According to The History Channel along with a variety of other sources, this very photo may have indicated that Amelia Earheart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, were captured as prisoners of Japan. For the past eight decades, America has been haunted by the mysterious deaths of Earheart and Noonan. However, we fail to focus on the incredible legacy Amelia Earheart left on American history and aviation. Amelia Earheart is an inspiration to women throughout the globe due to the fact that she was the first woman to truly change the gender norms. Amelia's fond admiration of aviation started during her childhood. As a child, Amelia was characterized as a "tomboy" and had an absolute fascination with the outdoors and all the nature that surrounded her. One childhood memory in particular that inspired her career was in 1904 when she and her uncle created a ramp at home that was inspired after a roller coaster she has seen on a family trip to St. Louisville. The results of their home-made roller coaster was a torn dress, bruised lip, but also had created a certain sense of exhilaration, which resembled the feeling of flying to a young Amelia. Although Amelia had some fond memories as a child, she experienced some pretty rough ones too. Amelia and her sister Muriel had a traumatic childhood. They had an alcoholic father who was forced to retire early while simultaneously mourning the death of her grandmother, Amelia Otis. Despite the troubles of her childhood, Amelia continued to work towards her goals and aspirations. These careers were often male-oriented fields. December 28, 1920, can easily be noted as one of the most momentous days of Amelia's life, as it was that very day where she truly fell in love with flying. On this very day, Amelia and her father took a trip to an airfield in Long Beach, California, where she was given a ten-minute ride in the air by Frank Hawk, who went on to become a successful pilot. Amelia has stated that the moment that she was 200 or 300 feet off of the ground, she knew she had to fly. As time progressed, Amelia Earheart rose to success and went on to become one of the most successful pilots in history. Not only was Amelia the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean in 1928, but was the first person to fly across the Atlantic twice! Besides flying the Atlantic Ocean, Earheart has also been the first to achieve a myriad of other things such as being the first woman to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1932, reaching various altitude records, etc. Along with being a pilot, Amelia was also known as a writer and has written numerous newspaper columns, magazine articles, and published two books of her own. Amelia even served as the aviation editor at Cosmopolitan Magazine for three years from 1928 to 1930. Besides accomplishing incredible things, Amelia herself was an incredible person, to begin with. It was no secret that Amelia was a major advocate for feminism and believed in equality when it came to marriage and insisted on keeping her own last name rather than inheriting her husband, George Putnam's last name. Overall, Amelia Earheart was feminism. Earheart was brave and courageous and truly changed the gender norms as we know today. Rather than staying in the kitchen and doing the stereotypical housewife chores, Amelia was off flying in the air and proving to men everywhere that a woman has the same capabilities as a man. Thanks to Amelia Earheart, thousands of young females aspired to pursue a career in aviation, and they did. In conclusion, Amelia Earheart was and still is a role model to women everywhere and went to show that both you and I, are capable of just about anything.
I really hope you all enjoyed the first piece of my series on wondrous women. I am writing this series not only to advocate for feminism, but also to show you that you have the power and courage to do anything you set your mind to! I am excited for the next piece in this series and I genuinely hope you are too! Please feel free to comment or message me suggestions on iconic and successful women who you see as a wondrous woman. Thank you for reading and have a wonderful day!
With lots of love,
Kylee
Citations :
Amelia Earhart as an Aviator. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 July 2017.
"Amelia Earhart." Biography.com. A&E Networks Television, 07 July 2017. Web. 14 July 2017.
"Biography." Amelia Earhart. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 July 2017.
History.com Staff. "What Happened to Amelia Earhart?" History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2010. Web. 14 July 2017.