Some Rebels Wear Pearls …
If you think the 1940s and 50s were a simpler time, you're right! Men and women had their roles to play. The men were the bread winners and were supposed to be tough, and the little lady was the homemaker.
Betty Crocker in all her splendor! A script written before time by countless men and women.
A simpler time, yes. But not so easy.
For women and girls who followed the script, it should have been easier. Get married, that's why you went to college-to find a man, have a few kids, be happy with your split-level suburban home and have that martini ready for Mr. Wonderful when he came through the door after a hard day of work. No one asked what the woman wanted!
Learning and training to be the wife of the senator, the doctor, or the lawyer-no one asked what the woman wanted! But for some women it was not enough. Along came Betty Friedan and The Feminine Mystique and The Problem Without a Name.
Fighting the stereotype was difficult. The bosses who told you to keep quiet before a meeting, the constant struggle for validation from those who thought you should be happy with what you had and couldn't see who you really were.
Marching down 5th Avenue with names like Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem and Bella Abzug for women's equality brought out the rebel and turned a girl into a woman.
This is one woman's story. Her journey. How she became Caught Between the Bettys. From following the script to becoming a pilot to running for office. And all the pot holes along the way.