Sisters Can Do It – Free Vector Art

“We Can Do It!” In the 1940s, “Rosie the Riveter” represented the woman defense workers and became the female icon of Word War II. Rolling up the sleeve on her raised bent arm, Rosie is the example of a brave, strong and competent woman, becoming a symbol of equal rights for all. Welcome to a creative world where women are in power.

An artist named J. Howard Miller first created the powerful “We Can Do It” image in 1942 as part of a defense industry campaign. That year, companies decided they were willing to hire women for their war production. To promote this, employers and government started a huge promotion to attract female workers. In 1943, Norman Rockwell's version of Rosie appeared in the Saturday Evening Post. Rockwell was the most popular illustrator in the USA, and when his drawing was published on the cover, millions of issues were sold all over the nation, boosting the Rosie myth. Soon the press picked up the story of Rose Hickey who was the record holder riveter at the TBM Avenger plant.

War changed the role of women in society completely. Rosie is masculine - just look at the size of her arms. She’s working with large and heavy tools. She's wearing overalls but no wedding ring. Yet Rosie is feminine. She has nail polish on and wears rouge and lipstick.

The women's war work sows the seeds of the second wave of feminism, finding freedom and an independence that they had never known before. Today, the fight of Rosie continues and there is still much to debate on. In many countries, women are still the victims of cultural and political practices. Feminism has a long way to go to achieve social, economic and legal equality between women and men. It’s time for a global chance. To cite the Eurythmics & Aretha Franklin song: Everybody - take a look around. Can you see - There's a woman right next to you. Now this is a song to celebrate the conscious liberation of the female state. Mothers, daughters and their daughters too. Woman to woman, we're singin' with you: Sisters are doin' it for themselves!”

Vector artwork by Caos CC for Vector.NET

License: Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 3.0 Unported.

Zip file includes Illustrator AI CS2, EPS8, SVG, PDF and hi-res JPG.