Second Wave Of Conformity

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In a world where the biggest pressure was social conformity, there was absolutely no room for individuality. For centuries, people have been forced to conform whether it be with art, music, theories, war, or even everyday life. Post World War Two put a stop to conformity and instead contributed to the influence of individuality. Along with this influence, a new wave of feminism approached a wider range of issues. Individuality also portrayed a new way to create literature and art without expressing emotion. Almost everything that has been established post World War Two has contributed to the world we have today. The reaction to turn against conformity was the result of World War Two. The Holocaust brought to light the truths behind conformity. …show more content…
Around the 1920’s feminism focused on legal obstacles and equal gender rights. These rights included voting and property rights. After World War Two, the second wave of feminism rose with a new variety of issues. The issues were concerned with everyday life such as marriage, divorce, work, education, and children. Women were tired of being treated like objects and a “housewife.” They wanted to be respected in their home and in the working world. World War Two gave women this opportunity. Since most of the men were fighting in the war, women were giving the responsibility in the workforce with jobs that required skill and physical strength. Women proved to society that they were more than a housewife or pretty thing to look at. They proved they could also have a career and that it was not just a “man’s world.” When put to the task, they pulled their weight and went above and beyond what was expected of their skill level. This was only temporary though. After World War Two, the men returned home and returned to their jobs, which forced the women back to their homes and to fulfill their stereotyped “modern housewife” lives and duties. This took away women’s newfound freedom. Beauvoir said, “Now, woman has always been a man’s dependent, if not his slave; the two sees have never shared the world in equality.” Feminism was not only about work and home life, furthering a woman’s education was also …show more content…
Just like the world was reacting against conformity, artists were too. They were reacting against complexity, expressionism, and ideological art. The art had ties to Darwinian ideas of change and evolution (3/30/15.) The artists wanted the art to be objective and not subjective. The objects were broken down to basic forms and were often geometric. Simplicity was key to understanding this art. One of the most well known type of art that reacted against expressionism was Pop Art. Andy Warhol was a well-known artist in Pop Art and his art is still popular to this day. He brought back the material nature of everyday life by using consumer products and commercial goods. Examples of some of his better-known paintings are; the Cambell’s Soup can, Coca Cola bottles, and a vivid portrait of Marilyn Monroe. The purpose of Pop Art was to change the focus from the emotion of expressionism to mass production, media, and advertising. It was based on visual pleasures such as television, magazines, pop icons, logos, etc. This kind of art influenced present day art with the expansion of simplicity and accessibility. It showed that art didn’t have to be about an object or a certain theme, art could be anything. It changed the way society viewed what art