Rosie The Riveter Inspiration - Naomi Parker Fraley

Photo: Bettmann/Getty Images.

The woman who is said to be the real-life inspiration for Rosie the Riveter has passed away, and people are paying tribute by putting a modern spin on the archetypal World War II factory worker.

Naomi Parker Fraley, whose 1942 photograph while working in a naval shipyard at age 20 launched a world-famous image, died last weekend at 96 in Longview, WA.

Fraley died at a pivotal time for women, coinciding with the one-year anniversary of the Women's March, when around 2 million people turned out for human rights across the US and many more across the globe.

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“Anybody would want a mother like mine,” her son Joe Blankenship said of his mother to KGW8 News. “She believed that we were all equal. She would tell me that, ‘You are better than nobody. But nobody is better than you.’” He said his mother had at times been a single parent who worked waitressing jobs to support her family.

There has been some controversy about the "real" Rosie the Riveter, with many people believing it was a different woman until recently. In 2016, professor James J. Kimble at Seton Hall University published detailed findings in the journal Rhetoric & Public Affairs saying the photo of Fraley was behind the iconic "We Can Do It!" poster created by graphic artist J. Howard Miller.

“

The women of this country these days need some icons. If they think I'm one, I'm happy about that.

Naomi Parker Fraley

”

Fraley was born in Tulsa, OK, and was among the first women to work at the Naval Air Station in Alameda, CA, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour. She was part of a wave of millions of American women who went to work during WWII. A press photographer approached Fraley to take a photo during her shift, her daughter-in-law Marnie Blankenship told KATU2.

The real Rosie the Riveter has died age 96. RIP Naomi Parker Fraley. You'll forever continue to inspire women to smash the patriarchy #RosieTheRiveter pic.twitter.com/jcxqo92pwk
— Amelia Womack (@Amelia_Womack) January 23, 2018

Women everywhere are honouring Fraley and Rosie by posting their own versions of the WWII poster, which with their diversity reflect how America has changed since 1942.

Rosie attended the Women's March this year:

A tribute to the real #RosietheRiveter, Naomi Parker Fraley, who passed away at age 96 Saturday as millions joined #WomensMarches around US for second year in a row, many with her iconic image as inspiration. #WomensMarch2018 #PowertothePolls #RiseUp4Roe.@nytimes .@washingtonpost pic.twitter.com/ly4dIiSJXZ
— Karen Rubin (@KarenBRubin) January 23, 2018

Rosie is a woman of color:

If you’ve been following us for a while, then you know how much we love #RosieTheRiveter! Thank you for empowering women throughout history ❤️ #4Diversity pic.twitter.com/o2D9ZdP3gp
— The NDC (@DiversityFirst) January 23, 2018

Rosie is a 12-year-old scientist and inventor:

When you are asked for a Superhero pose, and you go #RosieTheRiveter Who and what will you inspire? Thanks Naomi! pic.twitter.com/g03JQtobgd
— Allie Weber (@RobotMakerGirl) January 24, 2018

Rosie knows how to rock a cat-eye:

Just heard about Naomi Parker Fraley’s passing. ? She truly inspired a nation— myself included— and will continue to do so for centuries. R.I.P. you beautiful soul. #rosietheriveter pic.twitter.com/tCQKTcg8EA
— SQ | wavebird @ HOME (@diemtocarpe) January 23, 2018

Rosie is in our little girls (this photo was taken before Fraley died, but shows how far her reach is):

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Our daughter's teacher emailed us yesterday morning to tell us today was Spirit Day. Throwback Thursday. Wear something from any time period. The examples were 20s, 30s, 40s etc. All the way to the 90s. Here's what I pulled off last minute. #Wecandoit #RosietheRiveter #Girlpower pic.twitter.com/EYXqR5ecBl
— Lady Duskfall (@Lady_Duskfall) January 18, 2018

Rosie 100% lives on in 2018:

Just learned that the muse for the original #RosieTheRiveter, Ms. Naomi Parker Fraley, has gone on to that equal pay palace in the sky.

I’m comforted in knowing her legacy will live on — in color. #RIPRosie ?????????? pic.twitter.com/qfM5ivDTEq
— Adrienne Lawrence (@AdrienneLaw) January 23, 2018

Rest In Peace Naomi Parker Fraley. Thank you for unknowingly inspiring generations of women to embrace their strength and dismiss gender stereotypes. #rosietheriveter pic.twitter.com/ptoU27LEn1
— Stephanie Valle (@StephanieValle7) January 23, 2018

RIP, Rosie. Here’s my tribute to her that I did back in grad school. #rosietheriveter #RIProsie pic.twitter.com/WYk0cCuTsB
— ?Misty??‍??? (@mistymadonna) January 23, 2018

“It wasn’t about her. It was about thousands of women in the war effort and thereafter,” Joe Blankenship said. “She was a human. And she liked people. She just believed we should all just get along.”

In September 2016, Fraley told People magazine that while she didn't care about being famous, she was glad her likeness was making a positive impact on women. "The women of this country these days need some icons," she said. "If they think I'm one, I'm happy about that."

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