In 2003, the U.S. had troops in Afghanistan and was about to invade Iraq. War was being "sold" to the public in a manner no American of my generation had experienced before. 

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I was in graduate school at the time. A friend gave me a refrigerator magnet depicting the iconic Rosie the Riveter saying "You can do it!"

That gave me an idea.

 

I did an in-depth exploration of how the U.S. government "sold" American homemakers on WWII. 

 

In addition to reviewing the literature, I traveled to The National Archives in both Philadelphia and College Park, Maryland, watched hours of footage, and sifted through boxes of reports and memos.
I then tracked down some real-life "Rosies" and interviewed them.

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A written thesis alone would have satisfied the university's requirements, but it wouldn't have satisfied me, so I also made this 39-minute film. 

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My written thesis can be accessed through the university library system.

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