Reflection+on+The+American+Housewife

The American Housewife of the 1950s is an image that I think everyone will think of when they think of a housewife. This period of time showed how the role of women changed back into the idea that a woman's place was in the home. Women as housewives shouldn't have opinions and should just be able to clean a house, cook and take care of the kids. Through the two poems written by William Carlos Williams and Anne Sexton, I wanted to show that in actuality, housewives have a hard time doing what they do. This image of a housewife can still be seen today since it is an idea that we, as Americans, have grown up with. Girls growing up have continuously been brainwashed by stories and fairytales of how women are to be housewives and helpless. This can been seen in cartoon movies such as Cinderella and the new Disney movie Enchanted. Cinderella is a fairytale that proves to girls that being a good housewife will make you beautiful and desirable by all men. The writers of Cinderella obviously thought that women who did not do housework were useless to society, and gave the characteristics of the stepsisters as ugly, rude, and ill-mannered. The stepmother was an independent woman who tried to rule a household without being ruled by a man. As much as I love Cinderella growing up for her sweetness and her beauty, I now realize how Cinderella was in fact dumb with no mind of her own. This can also be seen in the new Disney movie Enchanted. For young girls growing up, there are pretty much only two career choices: be a housewife, or be a the workaholic. Most choose the housewife because of the influence of Disney movies. For older people, the image of the housewife is glorified by the popular T.V. show //Desperate Housewives//. Though this show is about the juicy gossip of housewives living in a suburban area, it still promotes the image of the all**- American Housewife **.  back