"Not much is written about feminism today (equality is taken for granted in all areas except income earning) but Doris Day's on screen roles paved the way for change." - Teresa Wentz
Doris Day - Feminist Hero
by Teresa Wentz
Director of
Rescuing My Heroes
The new documentary film about the origin and evolution of the Saint Bernard Breed
The Women’s Movement in the latter part of the last century was marked by a strong desire to change women’s place in society by effecting change in legislation and organizing social groups to watchdog ideology in the media and workplace.
Many magazine column inches were devoted to 'feminist' issues in the 1960's and 1970's. The diligence of women such as Gloria Steinem and Helen Gurley Brown reinforced the idea that women deserve equality in the bedroom, the boardroom, and anywhere else they would like to be. This concept has gained such acceptance that people born after 1967 rarely think about "women's lib".
Feminists during this period criticized Doris Day’s onscreen roles as being detrimental to the movement because the women that she portrayed were too complacent, too conservative, too conventional, and too moral.
In truth, Doris Day was the 'spoonful of sugar' that helped the medicine go down' the throats of a slow-to-change society.
New Era of the Movement
In the 1990’s, a new emphasis of the feminist movement called the Third Wave began to encourage women to improve the collective station of women in society by concentrating on individual achievement and personal fulfillment. Judged by these standards, Doris Day’s film roles were three decades ahead of where the organized movement would eventually be going.
Day’s Contribution to Furthering the Cause
An important inroad into personal female success was started by Doris Day in the 1960's. Day may be best remembered as the goody-goody girl next door but her roles had layers of depth. While her characters may have been 'biding time' in one sense until they met the man of their dreams, they presented a woman who was using her talents and living a full life until he came along.
Day has played a successful mother on the big screen as well as on the small screen. She often combined this feminine role along with juggling a professional career in various fields such as advertising, public relations, interior design, product representation, union organization, construction, and industrial design. (Her one lapse in cinematic judgment might have occurred with The Thrill of It All. A very entertaining film until the end when her co-star James Garner convinces Day to give up her day job doing commercials for a soap company in order to stay home and have another baby. As if she couldn't do both. Apparently, the character Beverly Boyer had never seen a Doris Day movie!)
Doris Day Had it All Before Anyone Thought to Want it All
Day also portrayed film characters who were caring daughters, concerned friends, socially conscious (animal rights!) and who cultivated their own personal interests. These onscreen roles seem to reflect women who knew how to “have it all” decades before the phrase was even coined.
It may seem insignificant now, but a review of leading lady roles in film before Doris Day reveals a long list of wives, mothers, seductresses, prostitutes, and spinsters. Occasionally a part such as Mildred Pierce came along which allowed an actress to express the many dimensions of female life, but they were few and far between.
It is arguable that filmmakers in the late fifties and early sixties were beginning to present stories that reflected their culture’s changing view of a woman’s place. However, without a personality like Doris Day who was able to portray these roles with such ability, grace, wit, and gumption, audiences would not have been as quick to accept the possibility of real women in these positions.
We can't thank you enough Doris. Happy Birthday!
Many magazine column inches were devoted to 'feminist' issues in the 1960's and 1970's. The diligence of women such as Gloria Steinem and Helen Gurley Brown reinforced the idea that women deserve equality in the bedroom, the boardroom, and anywhere else they would like to be. This concept has gained such acceptance that people born after 1967 rarely think about "women's lib".
Feminists during this period criticized Doris Day’s onscreen roles as being detrimental to the movement because the women that she portrayed were too complacent, too conservative, too conventional, and too moral.
In truth, Doris Day was the 'spoonful of sugar' that helped the medicine go down' the throats of a slow-to-change society.
New Era of the Movement
In the 1990’s, a new emphasis of the feminist movement called the Third Wave began to encourage women to improve the collective station of women in society by concentrating on individual achievement and personal fulfillment. Judged by these standards, Doris Day’s film roles were three decades ahead of where the organized movement would eventually be going.
Day’s Contribution to Furthering the Cause
An important inroad into personal female success was started by Doris Day in the 1960's. Day may be best remembered as the goody-goody girl next door but her roles had layers of depth. While her characters may have been 'biding time' in one sense until they met the man of their dreams, they presented a woman who was using her talents and living a full life until he came along.
Day has played a successful mother on the big screen as well as on the small screen. She often combined this feminine role along with juggling a professional career in various fields such as advertising, public relations, interior design, product representation, union organization, construction, and industrial design. (Her one lapse in cinematic judgment might have occurred with The Thrill of It All. A very entertaining film until the end when her co-star James Garner convinces Day to give up her day job doing commercials for a soap company in order to stay home and have another baby. As if she couldn't do both. Apparently, the character Beverly Boyer had never seen a Doris Day movie!)
Doris Day Had it All Before Anyone Thought to Want it All
Day also portrayed film characters who were caring daughters, concerned friends, socially conscious (animal rights!) and who cultivated their own personal interests. These onscreen roles seem to reflect women who knew how to “have it all” decades before the phrase was even coined.
It may seem insignificant now, but a review of leading lady roles in film before Doris Day reveals a long list of wives, mothers, seductresses, prostitutes, and spinsters. Occasionally a part such as Mildred Pierce came along which allowed an actress to express the many dimensions of female life, but they were few and far between.
It is arguable that filmmakers in the late fifties and early sixties were beginning to present stories that reflected their culture’s changing view of a woman’s place. However, without a personality like Doris Day who was able to portray these roles with such ability, grace, wit, and gumption, audiences would not have been as quick to accept the possibility of real women in these positions.
We can't thank you enough Doris. Happy Birthday!
