Payton Deeney

Professor Babcock

English 137H

October 6 2020

Rhetorical Analysis Essay Outline

Malala Yousafzai said “I raise my voice not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice

can be heard”. In the United States, women earned the right to vote in 1920. In concept, the

passing of this legislation defines women as equal. However, history has shown that equality is

not just defined by laws and rulings, but rather the commonplaces and ideologies accepted by

society at a certain time. The Vietnam Women’s Memorial and “You Mean a Woman Can Open

It?” Advertisement establish their respective claims and defend contradictory ideals of feminism.

The Vietnam Women’s Memorial demonstrates the normative changes concerning women’s

rights that have occured since the “You Mean a Woman Can Open It” advertisement was run in

1953. Comparing the two images, the progress of women in the search for equal rights is evident.

The “You Mean a Woman Can Open It?” advertisement perpetuates the harmful

stereotype that women are less capable and weaker than men. Released in 1953 to promote Alcoa

Aluminum’s twist off lid, the ad also features text that reads “​"Easily- without a knife blade, a

bottle opener, or a husband!” This alludes to the belief that women depend on their spouses, an

ideal that was especially prevalent in the 1950’s. In the image, the woman appears visibly

excited to be able to open this bottle, contributing to the condescending nature of the ad. This

poor helpless woman could not be more ecstatic to be able to open a lid without the help of her
strong, capable husband. ​The visual aspects that most stand out to the viewer are the accents of

color in the ad- the red nail polish, lipstick and bottle are immediately apparent to the eye. These

components are not random; instead they are a subliminal appeal to the toxic ideal of femininity

that was promoted in this time period. This further implies the expectation of a woman’s sole job

being looking pretty for their husbands. The Vietnam Women’s Memorial illustrates a new era of

feminism, a more inclusive and equal playing field on the forefront of women’s rights.

By contrast, the Vietnam Women’s Memorial refutes the idea of women’s inferiority

promoted by the ad. The service of women in the Vietnam War is an exemplar of the progress

that has been attained in the search for equal rights. The Monument was revealed in 1993 to

commemorate the service of more than 11,000 women in the Vietnam war. Most of these women

were nurses, intelligence officers and specialists (History.com). Women also served in the first

and second World Wars, and our nation witnessed firsthand as hundreds of thousands of

courageous women stepped up to fight for our country. In addition to military participation, our

female counterparts also stepped up in wartime at the homefront, taking on traditionally male

jobs to keep our country running in the midst of war (Blakemore). This duty earned much needed

respect for our country’s women, combatting the sexist norms and ideals that had been

perpetuated for years in the United States. Military service was an important catalyst in the

women’s rights movement, which is commemorated well by monuments such as the Vietnam

Women’s Memorial. The monument depicts three female nurses providing aid to a wounded

soldier. This is crucial as it is a visible twist on the stereotypical male- female dynamic, in this

case it is the woman helping the man. In the statue, one might also notice how one of the female

figure’s hands is over the wounded soldier’s heart. This conveys a sense of unity to the viewer,

showing the two sexes working together united under a common goal. The wreath adorning the
monument exemplifies the collective public respect for our Vietnam womens’ service, instilling

a sense of honor in their sacrifice. When compared to the sexist 1953 ad, the progress in

women’s equality is evident. Furthermore, structures such as this memorial serve as a precedent

for future progress in the women’s rights movement. The drastic difference between the

commonplaces promoted in each of these images can be attributed to collective norms accepted

by society in their respective time periods.

The rhetorical situations of both images are essential in understanding the commonplaces

they advocate for. The Alcoa ad was released in the “housewife” era of feminism. While women

in this time period had the opportunity to pursue a college education, marriage was prioritized

and having a husband was stressed to be more valuable than a degree. Family life was also

strongly emphasized, therefore establishing the housewife role that limited women’s roles in

society (PBS.org). This contributed greatly to commonplaces such as that shown in the “You

Mean a Woman Can Open It?” ad; the belief that women were less capable than men. The World

Wars created a turning point in the forefront of feminism. Greater need for people willing to

fight for our country created an opening for women to step up and prove their capabilities

(Libguides.org). This rhetorical situation allowed for the formation of a new commonplace: that

women are equal to men. Although society has come a long way to combat traditional feminist

commonplaces, sexism is still evident in every day life, and monuments such as the Vietnam

Women’s Memorial serve to remind people of the kairotic element of the situation. There is still

a need to continue to combat present day sexism, as it is an ever present issue in our country that

requires constant effort to completely eradicate.

From the Alcoa Ad to the Vietnam Women’s Memorial, the female role in society has

been completely uprooted. The military sacrifice of women has entirely redefined commonplace
ideals of feminism in our country. However, there is still room for improvement on the subject of

women’s equality. For example, female war service is now regarded with great honor, but this

has not always been the case. Even after their great sacrifice in the World Wars, women were

still heavily criticized after their contribution to our country. There was a certain stigma that

followed these female war veterans even after their service; they were heavily accused of using

nefarious means to earn their military status, even going as far as to suggest nepotism

(Blakemore). Even today, women only make up for roughly 16% of our armed forces (CFR.org).

Other than just military service, sexism in the United States manifests in other, more every day

life instances For example, women make up nearly half of the United States workforce

(approximately 46.7 percent) yet only earn 80.5 percent of what men make (Proctor et al).Thus,

structures that promote the commonplace of equal opportunity are still just as relevant today.
 Works Cited

Bernadette D. Proctor, Jessica L. Semega, and Melissa A. Kollar, “Income and Poverty in the

United States: 2016” (Washington: U.S. Census Bureau, 2016), available at

​ ​https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2017/demo/P60-259.pdf

Blakemore, E. (2018, June 29). How Women Fought Their Way Into the U.S. Armed Forces.

Retrieved October 09, 2020, from

https://www.history.com/news/women-fought-armed-forces-war-service

CFR.org Editors. ​Demographics of the U.S. Military,​ Council on Foreign Relations, 13

July 2020, ​www.cfr.org/backgrounder/demographics-us-military​.

History.com Editors. “Women in the Vietnam War.” ​History.com​, A&E Television

Networks, 2 Aug. 2011,

www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/women-in-the-vietnam-war​.

Libguides.org Editors, Women in the Military - WWII: Overview. (n.d.). Retrieved October 9,

2020, from ​https://libguides.mnhs.org/wwii_women

PBS.org Editors. Mrs. America: Women's Roles in the 1950s. (n.d.). Retrieved October 9, 2020,

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/pill-mrs-america-womens-roles-
1950s/