New York: W. Norton, Amelia Earhart: The Official Website. Accessed July 25, Thurman, Judith. The Ninety-Nines, Inc. How to Cite this page. Additional Resources. Related Biographies. Abrams is now one of the most prominent African American female politicians in the United States.
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In The Fun of It , she wrote:. Aware that what she was doing was radical, Earhart realized that in order to achieve her goals, she needed to balance her traditionally masculine interests with those described as more feminine in nature. If she wanted to fly, she needed to work within the gendered societal limits and take small steps toward her goal; thereby making her actions more tolerable within society.
Only then could she break down barriers for herself and other women As she emerges from the plane and enters the stage of the world press, she appears rather masculine in her flying outfit and tousled hair.
She was probably not expecting to be photographed right away, but after that first flight, she was photographed everywhere she went. He was speaking, of course, about a transatlantic flight. Earhart responded to that call. It did not phase Earhart that Railey only extended her an invitation to join Wilmer Schultz and Lou Gordon because of her gender. Nor did she complain upon learning that, unlike the men, she would not receive compensation for her efforts.
The irony is that, even though she was a strong advocate for women, in many ways her accomplishments were only remarkable because of the very fact that she was a woman. She became an instant hero and role model to many women. She never returned to settlement work and instead took to touring the country, giving lectures about women in the workplace and in the field of aviation. After all, she had not actually flown the plane at any point during the journey, yet she was the center of the media coverage.
In The Fun of It, she wrote:. This thought I have tried to bring out at every opportunity. Though palpably unfair, the circumstance was unavoidable. Earhart recognized that she received undue credit. Yet, she was also savvy and realized that the circumstances ended up working in her favor.
Whether or not Earhart felt that she had actually proven what women pilots were capable of, she recognized that the expedition had been a success. Throughout her career, Earhart repeatedly received opportunities and recognition, such as her involvement with the Friendship , for no other reason than she was a successful woman in a traditionally male field, but she accepted this fact and learned to use it to her advantage. This new life in the limelight caught Earhart somewhat unprepared.
After writing 20 Hrs. Should I return to social work or find something to do in aviation? For the moment all I wished to do in the world was to be a vagabond — in the air.
She received numerous offers of employment during her transcontinental jaunt, and when Ray Long, editor of Cosmopolitan magazine, asked her to join the staff as Aviation Editor, she accepted. In writing for Cosmopolitan, Earhart found the perfect outlet for her feminist ideas. During her time at the magazine, she wrote a monthly column offering thoughts on aviation and responding to letters from readers The subject of her articles often involved women in aviation, specifically encouraging women to enter the field.
The way Earhart presented herself to the public was crucial to her feminist persona. From her physical appearance to the subject of her lectures, Earhart maintained a very specific public image. He assessed her traits and offered suggestions when he found a particular aspect of her image that he felt needed to be changed.
Putnam coached Earhart on public speaking, the best way to pose for photographs, and even suggested she change her smile. Considering that Earhart described herself as a strong, independent woman, it seems out of character for Earhart to allow Putnam to have so much control over her actions. Yet, she was only doing what was necessary to retain her authority and popularity among the public.
In other ways, Earhart proved that she was more than capable of standing up to Putnam. In Soaring Wings , Putnam wrote:. Temperamentally she had a healthy distaste for the implication of being led around by the hand. Yet no client of any counselor ever received counsel more reasonably — or, on occasion, refused with more firmness to act on it!
Despite her determination to manage her own life, Earhart relied on Putnam to maintain her popularity and to attract donors and sponsors for her adventures. Constant, positive publicity was essential to her ability to secure funding for her flights, and Putnam filled that role. He exploited every opportunity to gain publicity for Earhart, and although she may not have enjoyed it, she acknowledged that it was necessary if she wanted to keep flying.
Earhart was prepared to do whatever it took, not simply because she loved it, but as a way for her to prove that women were capable of the same things as men.
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The Latest. However, when it ran out, she was forced to take more odd jobs while she found her financial footing. Fate eventually worked in her favor when, as a social worker at the time, her name was suggested to be the first female passenger of the famous pilot, Charles Lindbergh. Though Earhart continued to break records and her fame soared as a celebrity, she was never entirely satisfied.
Her final flight, and another attempt at increased notoriety, came in the form of an attempted circumnavigation of the world via the equator. In this endeavour, she teamed up with Fred Noonan, who had considerable experience in both marine and flight navigation. It is suggested that the flight was doomed from the start.
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