Legacy
Like any legends, stories have grown up around Elizabeth Short -- and not just the kind in books. They say she was a hooker, a virgin physically unable to have sex, a loose woman who was "asking for it." She had an affair with Marilyn Monroe. She worked at the Hollywood Canteen (a place where actors and actresses showed their appreciation to soldiers by serving up free pie and coffee while chatting and dancing.) None of these stories are true. But many of them sprung from the attitudes of the time. During the war, when Beth was coming of age, women were expected to be independent, to work, support their families, to hang around in bars, drinking and entertaining soldiers. they were finding their own way in the world. She grew up in a family supported only by her mother, and spent lots of time away from home in the winters in Florida. When she had troubles living with her father, she had no compunction about leaving him and finding a job. She knew she could find her own way in the world.
In 1947, the war had been over for two years, but culturally speaking, men were having trouble getting women back into the kitchen. They wanted their jobs and authority back. The family unit needed to be reinforced and the only way to do that were for women to go home. Having a beautiful young girl preyed upon, horrendously violated because she was vulnerable in the world served a cultural need. The papers reinforced this notion as the weeks progressed, calling the killer a werewolf, drawing attention to similar crimes -- independent young women, slain. Go home ladies, get a man to protect you.
posted by kuaptic. @ 3:58 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home