Geraldine

MICHGAN – Last week, Geraldine Doyle passed away at age 86. According to CNN she was the inspiration for the iconic ‘We can do it’ posters from WWll. She was a tall, thin cellist who briefly worked in a factory as so many women did as the men went to war. She actually met her husband at a soda fountain, can you think of anything more quintessentially 1940’s and perfect? Thank you, Mrs. Doyle, for silently standing for so many things. For giving a face to women around the nation.

She has come to be an icon for so many things, up to and including breast cancer, believe it or not. I was gifted a t-shirt that had her image sporting a pink bandana and the words ‘We can cure it’ emblazoned on the bottom. She’s such a paradox, which is why she is exactly the perfect face for our goal. She isn’t packed with muscles, she’s not sporting a power suit, she’s just an average working woman. Like so many of us, she appears to be someone who could be our mother, our sister, our friends and on a really good day (look at how lovely she is!) she’s us. Beauty packed up in a blue collar, literally.

Here’s to the way America was when young Geraldine went to work in a metal factory in Michigan with her red bandana. Here’s to the way America is now, rolling up our sleeves and doing all we can to empower ourselves, hopefully by way of helping others. Here’s to America in our future, in the faces of our daughters. Strong, beautiful, confident. And healthy.