Amelia Earhart: Airborne Feminist
Barriers Broken
(The Purdue Exponent, 1937)
"In the industry itself for women who work are still greatly outnumbered, they are finding more and more opportunities for employment in the ranks of this latest transportation medium. May I hope this movement will spread throughout all of applied science and industry and that women may come to share with men the joy of doing it." ~Amelia Earhart
Flight Barriers
On May 20, 1932, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. However, she wasn't the first woman to attempt this groundbreaking stunt. Five other women had tried before her, with their attempts to break the barrier ended up with a crash into the sea. The many failures that happened before her made Earhart's successful Transatlantic flight even more groundbreaking than it already was.
(New York Times, 1928) (Detroit Free Press, 1931)
Amelia Earhart also broke many women's flight records. The first record she set was in 1922, which was the female altitude record of 14,000 feet. In 1928, she became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic as a passenger and she set and broke the female speed record in 1929 and 1930. In 1931, she became the first woman to fly an autogyro and set a height record of 18,415 feet. In 1932, she became the second person to fly across the Atlantic, and after that she flew many other record-breaking flights around the world.
Gender Barriers
“My ambition is to have this wonderful gift produce practical results for the future of commercial flying and for the women who may want to fly tomorrow’s planes.” ~Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart changed the world for the better by breaking barriers that helped open doors for more women to enter the workplace. When she started flying, there were only 117 registered women pilots, which was a very small number compared to men in the field. Nevertheless, she pursued her dream and became an impactful woman.
"Like previous flights, I am undertaking this one solely because I want to, and because I feel that women now and then have to do things to show what women can do." ~Amelia Earhart
Fashion Barriers
(Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, 1933)
Earhart also broke fashion barriers. In 1933, she created a women's flying apparel line called "Amelia's Fashions" because the only aviation suits available were designed for men and fit women poorly. Amelia also used her skill to design a two-piece flying suit for the Ninety-Nines. She used her designs to promote women's clothes that were fit for an active lifestyle, which broke the mold of what was expected of women at the time.