Rosie Disposition
We are fighting a war against the COVID-19 pandemic; we are all soldiers in this battle, and it will take a focused, collective effort to win. There is no room for half-hearted or selfish behavior in this fight against COVID-19, it’s a time which calls for conscious adjustment and solidarity. This artwork is satirical in nature due to the historical context of its original cultural icon, Rosie the Riveter, which was used to encourage people to get out of the house and get to work in support of American WWII efforts. Aside from its urging the public to "redefine normal" in their daily lives, this version of Rosie otherwise sends a very different message than the original — it tells us to put in the effort to stay at home, to contribute as little as possible in public (for the public), to "not do" as much as we can for the greater good of our people. The statement "Don't Even Think About Doing It" refers to the need to stay inside and do nothing — a call to inaction — playing off of the original text "We Can Do It" which encouraged people to do the most. In our modern times, it’s almost harder for us to abandon our social and professional lives than it is to work harder for a common cause. This artwork ultimately seeks to remind us that we’re soldiers in a viral war, fighting the good fight from the safety of our homes; we are doing the American thing by doing something historically ‘un-American.’