I'm really not sure what point I'm trying to make with this paper...
The 19th century proved to be a difficult time for immigrants as they fought a constant battle for acceptance. The new immigrants were blamed for urban poverty as well as for general annoyance. In order to overcome the stereotypes and gain acceptance, the immigrants had to prove to the native-born American’s that they were fully capable of accomplishment. Cultural shifts through the usage of cosmetics style of clothing, became a way for immigrant women to try to assimilate into American middle class culture. Affluent women were beginning to live a life full of consumption afforded to them by their lifestyles. This was one of the ways by which immigrant women believed they could improve their social status. This will be evidenced by the historical text by Kathy Peiss entitled “Making Faces: The Cosmetics Industry and the Cultural Construction of Gender” as well as a novel by Anzia Yezierska called “Bread Givers”. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a major changed occurred regarding the appearance of women. The usage of makeup and stlye of dress became a major indicator of class and social status. The article by Kathy Peiss begins with a brief history of women’s makeup usage in the United States. Makeup was often used by indecent women such as prostitutes. However, there was a major transformation that shifted the usage of makeup from prostitutes to the elite women. This eventually fueled to start of the cosmetic and beauty industries that are present today. The New Woman in the United States struggled to assert her strength and independence. This image was contrary to the stereotype of domesticity and helplessness. Women attempted to use makeup to demonstrate their new independence. The change in culture did not have the idealized effects that the industry was hoping for. The cosmetic industry hoped to profit by the new widespread cosmetic market. The adoption of makeup was a clear attempt by the immigrant population to fit in with American culture. However, this was somewhat of a failure as Peiss explains. “While invoking ideas of female self-expression through the use of makeup, the cosmetics industry in the 1910’s and 1920’s never transcended the problem of class that had been raised in the nineteenth-century identification of “paint” with immorality” (Peiss, 384). This problem became a large issue particularly with working class women that did not wear makeup the same way that elite women did. According to the article, the working class women often wore too much makeup with color. In contrast, the elite women were encouraged to wear neutral “uncolored” makeup that would accentuate their natural softness and beauty. This usage of makeup, which should have helped to level the playing field for women, actually created larger class distinctions. Regardless of how effective women were at integrating themselves by makeup, it was a clear attempt to alter their representation. The novel by Anzia Yezierska focuses on the take of a 10 year old daughter of recent immigrants and her journey into womanhood. The novel focuses on the idea of the New Woman and the possibilities of a life other than womanhood. The main character, Sara, watches her older sisters grow up and face meaningless lives. With the addition of how poor the conditions are for her family, Sara decides that she wants to become independent and “live her own life”.
i just tried to leave this comment and it wouldnt let me ... so i'm not going to bother retyping everything i had, because i am technologically inept. anyway basically i think that 1. you need to reread this for small gramatical and spelling errors, but youll be able to fix that easily 2. i think that when this is more organized, itll be really great.
the thing is, you have a lot of really good ideas here, but because you dont have a concrete thesis, the ideas kind of jumble together and dont support the same point. you do a good job using quotes and a good job referencing bread givers, but without a solid thesis, this is less important. basically i think maybe you should make an outline. write fown your thesis as well as the main point of each body paragraph. when you do that, youll be able to make sure that each paragraph supports your main idea otherwise, this is a really great start good luck! colleen
I'm really not sure what point I'm trying to make with this paper...
ReplyDeleteThe 19th century proved to be a difficult time for immigrants as they fought a constant battle for acceptance. The new immigrants were blamed for urban poverty as well as for general annoyance. In order to overcome the stereotypes and gain acceptance, the immigrants had to prove to the native-born American’s that they were fully capable of accomplishment. Cultural shifts through the usage of cosmetics style of clothing, became a way for immigrant women to try to assimilate into American middle class culture. Affluent women were beginning to live a life full of consumption afforded to them by their lifestyles. This was one of the ways by which immigrant women believed they could improve their social status. This will be evidenced by the historical text by Kathy Peiss entitled “Making Faces: The Cosmetics Industry and the Cultural Construction of Gender” as well as a novel by Anzia Yezierska called “Bread Givers”.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a major changed occurred regarding the appearance of women. The usage of makeup and stlye of dress became a major indicator of class and social status. The article by Kathy Peiss begins with a brief history of women’s makeup usage in the United States. Makeup was often used by indecent women such as prostitutes. However, there was a major transformation that shifted the usage of makeup from prostitutes to the elite women. This eventually fueled to start of the cosmetic and beauty industries that are present today.
The New Woman in the United States struggled to assert her strength and independence. This image was contrary to the stereotype of domesticity and helplessness. Women attempted to use makeup to demonstrate their new independence. The change in culture did not have the idealized effects that the industry was hoping for. The cosmetic industry hoped to profit by the new widespread cosmetic market.
The adoption of makeup was a clear attempt by the immigrant population to fit in with American culture. However, this was somewhat of a failure as Peiss explains. “While invoking ideas of female self-expression through the use of makeup, the cosmetics industry in the 1910’s and 1920’s never transcended the problem of class that had been raised in the nineteenth-century identification of “paint” with immorality” (Peiss, 384). This problem became a large issue particularly with working class women that did not wear makeup the same way that elite women did. According to the article, the working class women often wore too much makeup with color. In contrast, the elite women were encouraged to wear neutral “uncolored” makeup that would accentuate their natural softness and beauty. This usage of makeup, which should have helped to level the playing field for women, actually created larger class distinctions.
Regardless of how effective women were at integrating themselves by makeup, it was a clear attempt to alter their representation. The novel by Anzia Yezierska focuses on the take of a 10 year old daughter of recent immigrants and her journey into womanhood. The novel focuses on the idea of the New Woman and the possibilities of a life other than womanhood. The main character, Sara, watches her older sisters grow up and face meaningless lives. With the addition of how poor the conditions are for her family, Sara decides that she wants to become independent and “live her own life”.
i just tried to leave this comment and it wouldnt let me ... so i'm not going to bother retyping everything i had, because i am technologically inept.
ReplyDeleteanyway basically i think that
1. you need to reread this for small gramatical and spelling errors, but youll be able to fix that easily
2. i think that when this is more organized, itll be really great.
the thing is, you have a lot of really good ideas here, but because you dont have a concrete thesis, the ideas kind of jumble together and dont support the same point. you do a good job using quotes and a good job referencing bread givers, but without a solid thesis, this is less important.
basically i think maybe you should make an outline. write fown your thesis as well as the main point of each body paragraph. when you do that, youll be able to make sure that each paragraph supports your main idea
otherwise, this is a really great start
good luck!
colleen