Rosie with a Vintage Flag. Today, Rosie the Riveter symbolizes feminism. Rosie is seen as a symbol of equality for women in the workplace and elsewhere.
Rosie the Riveter is based on a collective group of women. The image for Rosie came from Women Ordnance Workers who worked in factories and operated heavy machinery, building weapons and handling munitions.
Indeed, one of the more readily recognizable icons of labor is “Rosie the Riveter,” the tireless World War II-era woman who rolled up her sleeves, flexed her arm muscles, and said, “We Can Do It!” But this isn’t the original Rosie
The “Rosie” image popular during the war was created by illustrator Norman Rockwell (who had most certainly heard the “Rosie the Riveter” song) for the cover of the Saturday Evening Post on May 29, 1943 — the Memorial Day issue. The image depicts a muscular woman wearing overalls, goggles, and pins of honor on her lapel. Next, she sports a leather wristband and rolled-up sleeves. She sits with a riveting tool in her lap, eating a sandwich, and “Rosie” is inscribed on her lunch pail.