Alice Gebura

The Personal is Political: Women's Work

Women's work had rigidly defined boundaries (housewife/mother, teacher, nurse, or secretary) until the Civil Rights Act passed and feminism emerged. While women had some power in the homemaking space, that work was denigrated by its association with second class citizens - i.e. women - and later because we needed to rebel against it to free ourselves from that prison. As someone who grew up in the bad old days, I want people to be aware of what those limitations felt like. At the same time we should celebrate what women created, before mass production and consumerism made their work irrelevant.

The Joy of Cooking (4 minutes)

A compilation of clips from 1950s and 1960s television that establish a circular argument about what the female gender values and what is valuable about the female gender.

nightgown and poem
Mother's Nightgown
embroidered quilt with dancers
Dancers' Quilt
needlework and poem
Meraki
Jeanne Davis, Firefighter
Jeanne Davis, Firefighter
Ellen Keane, Tap Dancer
Ellen Keane, Owner of Keane Sense of Rhythm
Amy Gjerde, Anesthesiologist
Amy Gjerde, Anesthesiologist
Terri Taylor, Equine Professional
Terri Taylor, Equine Professional
Remix: La La Parody (2 1/2 minutes)

This is a clip from a film directed by Di Cesare and Hebert of Louise Lacavalier performing with La La Human Steps in 1985. I added a mash-up sound score.