There are numerous American icons in categories of entertainment, music, art, science, math, history, and more. Many people focus on the historic aspect of past icons such as politicians and scientistics, but in my opinion- some artists have actually left a greater impact on our society today. They've inspired us with their passion and entertainment. If I could choose three main American icons, I would choose:1. Audrey Hepburn: fashion and social icon of the 40's-60's. To me, she is a woman who embraced her feminity and drove herself to create well-known movies. She made a total of 31 high quality movies including the famous Breakfast at Tiffany's. She was also an inspiration because she was a UNICEF ambassador, helping children in Latin America and Africa.
For this woman, embracing her feminity was a huge part of who she was. She promised herself that she would retain grace and beauty, both inside and out, and I believe she fulfilled this over her lifetime. I also think that her opposition to the Nazi's was something she took pride in as well. In Holland, she performed ballet for an anti-Nazi organization.
In 1952, she became famous in America when she moved here to gain popularity in the acting field. Her natural trade mark most people loved was the fact that she had a petite and classy appearance, unlike the other actresses at the time.
This icon became important to me because I grew up with her being mentioned numerously by my grandma, who viewed her as a personal inspiration. Also, Audrey Hepburn was labelled through the media as one of the most influencial and top people of fashion and beauty.
As for creating my own question about her, I would ask "Why is Audrey Hepburn a controversy about being influencial?" And my answer would be- Audrey Hepburn has created a trademark of herself. To other artists, she is looked upon as a top actress because she won 4 Oscars- more than any other actress. I also think that her "Grace, beauty, and style" aura has affected society today because when you ask "Have you heard of Audrey Hepburn?" there is rarely any women who say "No."
2. Ruth Handler: creator and entrepreneur. Otherwise known as- the inventor of Barbie, the most influencial doll in the US. Her dolls have become major American icons since their debut in 1959. To me, Ruth Handler represents a huge success in inventing an American icon that represented every girls' dream and eventually- recreated some of the stereotypes that society has or has had about today's women. While some people may not see the importance of the Barbie doll, Ruth Handler not only created a toy to be loved by girls of all ages, but she also saw it as an opportunity to open people's minds about what a woman can do. In American culture, her creation became popular when she bought a German Bild Lilli doll in a Swiss shop and redesigned it back at home. With the new reinvention, she premiered it at the New York toy fair in 1959 calling it "Barbie" after her daughter, Barbara.
As for me, I adored my Barbie dolls and had about 100 dolls in a pink dollhouse box. I also had the Ken doll, the wheel-chair Barbie, the pug puppy, the horse, and the purple Volkswaagen bug just to name a few. This just goes to show that there are many accessories that orginated from Ruth Handler's creation.
And as for the rest of society, Barbie dolls have been in many households and have inspired many girls.It has already been calculated that each US girl has an average of 10 dolls.
If I had to ask one question about Ruth Handler, I would ask "How has her invention affected people worldwide?" And I would answer- Ruth Handler's invention has affected many girls and women worldwide because they have allowed girls to dream about what they can become.
3. Amelia Earhart: first woman to make a trans-Atlantic flight and the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to California in 1935. She was also an author. To me, this icon represents a sense of courage and interest. Considering the fact that most men were flyers at the time and there were rarely woman flyers, she served as an inspiration to all women around the world at a time when most women didn't even dream about doing things like that. From the time she was really young she wanted to fly, and even said to her father she would be a flyer one day.
In American culture she became quite popular not only because she was a female pilot,but also because she became nicknamed "Lady Lindy" because society saw her as the female version of Charles Lindbergh, a popular male American aviator.
Amelia Earhart first became important to me when I did a report on her in 3rd grade. I thought it was so interesting that she was set on her dreams from a very early age. She was an inspiration to women around the world, and the interest in her life has increased since her disappearance on her last flight.
If I had to ask one question about Amelia Earhart, it would be, "How has the female aspect come into play with being a popular pilot?" And I would answer- Amelia Earhart's gender made her popular of course because of the macho role of piloting in the 30s. She paved the way for future generations of women to dream big.
