Women have been told what to do since the beginning of time. “Pink Think” furthers that idea. This article by Lynn Peril explains what influences have impacted the way females act and think. Emotional appeal, the use of the theory pink think and her use of specific examples from history all come together to establish her case that women have been expected to fit into a specific mold in order to be a successful woman in life. Every woman feels the need to fit in with society. By fitting in, the woman would get the perfect guy, be successful in life and feel included. Lynn Peril shows how the attitude of Pink think made women feel the need to fit in. There were articles that showed the joys of housewifery. Women who read these articles felt that if they were a housewife and enjoyed the aspects of it written in the article, they fit in. It is a trait in women that all women want to fit in. We look in magazines and wish to look and dress like the models. This was what women thought about Pink think. It was the “in” way to act and think. Women who thought this way fit in and those who did no wanted to so that they could fit in.
Lynn Peril shows how Pink think made women want to fit in, and it worked. The theory of Pink Think is a set of ideas and attitudes about what constitutes proper female behavior. It was very popular from the 1940s to the 1970s. The theory of Pink think is the main argument of this essay. The cultural mindset of Pink think touched every female. The women read about it in articles, teens learned about it in their home economics textbooks, and little girls learned the feminine behaviors in games such as Miss. Popularity. With all the aspects of a woman’s life having some type of Pink think, it is no wonder women felt the need to fit into this mold. Pink think also told women that femininity was the only way to get and marry a man. And that was the only way to have a child, which was what women were supposed to do. Pink think also “made beauty, charm, and submissive behavior of mandatory importance to women of all ages in order to win a man’s attention and hold his interest after marriage. ” It made women believe the only thing to do in life was to please a man.
Pink think took over the way women act and thought in order to fit into what society thought a woman should be like. The use of specific examples in “Pink Think” helped Lynn Peril show that this theory influenced women in any stage of their life. Pink think influenced women from the way they put on their bathing suit to the choice of contraception. The example that had a real influence on me was the Miss America competition of 1961. Nancy Fleming’s answer to just kick both of her heals off and continue down the runway was a good one, but her answer that too many women were working and they should just be at home was shocking.
Also the fact that she won after that answer really surprised me. Fleming was putting women throughout the country down and saying they should just stay at home and have no place in the workforce. Women should have the choice to work or stay at home. I do not think the role model for America should have told the world that women are overpowering men and her place is in the home. Peril’s use of several specific examples allows her to connect to deferent readers. By having several examples, Lynn Peril expands the audience that she affects.
By using emotional appeal, the use of Pink think, and several specific examples Lynn Peril shows readers how women were influenced to act and think a certain way. Some of these attitudes are still looming around today. Just because Pink think was popular from 1940-1970, does not mean the idea does not show up today. Women are still expected to act and think a certain way. Lynn Peril showed how women were supposed to act back then, and it has changed in the present-day, but some ideas are still around.
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