Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook: A Rhetorical Analysis of Gender Roles in the 1950s

The Comfort of Food in Times of Need

Cristina Pellegrino

     

            Cookbooks are decorated with text that surround the colors, hidden inside each page. Not only do these pictures and text provide society with an understanding of how to prepare food, but they also insinuate who we should be. General Mills, the creator of Betty Crocker, took one of the biggest steps in culinary history by writing a set of text that guided housewives all over America how to prepare a well-balanced meal in order to keep the whole family balanced. 

Agnes White, the writer of this book also represents the face and voice of Betty Crocker. Betty Crocker was created in the twenties to bring a personalized response to consumer’s dire questions about the mysteries of the kitchen. “The introduction, in the form of a letter headed, ‘Dear Friends,’ promises to ‘bring a new high standard to the home-making art.’ The theme of renewing and improving a venerable tradition continues through the text, emphasizing new, modern approaches to creating traditional foods.” (Horner) The First Lady of Food represents a cheery All-American woman providing hope for American housewives to be the perfect woman for their husbands and children. Betty Crocker’s Picture Cookbook was published in January of 1950 and quickly became a national best seller. From household to household this cookbook was passed as housewives all alike, learned to create new dishes and have their burning questions answered on why their cake refused to rise. While women were the primary audience of this Heaven-sent cookbook, men were getting back into work after returning from World War II. 

In order to effectively understand how Betty Crocker’s Picture Cookbook is a piece of rhetoric, we must understand that rhetoric is situational; that in order for there to be some important piece of text in our society, an issue must be upraised. To that issue there must be a response, which is then communicated in a medium to the public. In this cookbook, the historical context was post World War II trauma and the anticipated family tension. After six years of grueling man slaughter for the selfish desire of power, soldiers returned home to their families. Fathers and husbands came back from war with distorted images of reality, trying to find comfort in their wives and children. The response to this trauma was creating a facade of comfort and perfection through intricate, bold meals and finding ways to sneak in comfort, also known as butter. This cookbook provided women with the recipes to sneak in the butter, cream, and make food more appetizing than the cans of food they had at war.

This cookbook’s intent was to help readers, mostly women understand how to navigate the kitchen efficiently and how to be the wife that managed to mute any problems the family was having. Socially, it explained what women’s roles were supposed to be. Neuhaus explains in his analysis of gender roles and domestic ideology that cookbooks are more than just a set of directions, “As ‘Betty Crocker’ phrased it, women remained ‘first and foremost, homemakers.’…War-time cookbooks, and the discourse that positioned women squarely in the middle of the kitchen, set the stage for postwar cookery books. And war-time deprivations set the stage for postwar appetites.” (Neuhaus) Not only did Betty Crocker’s cookbook satisfy post-war depression through the incorporation of well-balanced, hearty meals, but it also reminded women that their high heels and voluptuous dresses belonged in the kitchen covered with red, white, and blue aprons. 

Culturally, Betty Crocker’s cookbook opened up a world of fresh American comfort foods that would later become staples of the American diet. From the appetizers to the vegetable tab, this books coins iconic foods that symbolize our nation. “If I were to design a coat of arms for our country, a pie would be the main symbol. Pie is as American as the Fourth of July. Cakes from every land have come to America… but none so glamorous as the typically American concoction of richly tender layers, crowned with luscious, creamy icing.” (Cakes) Each dish brings a representation of our pride as American citizens; that we historically have had the best food and will continue to for many years. 

Betty Crocker’s Picture Cookbook is a piece of rhetoric that has brought answers to housewives and the current culinary dreamers alike, about the basics of cooking and our roles as Americans. Men returning from World War II came home with eyes that would never see the same, hearts that would never feel the same, but their wives were equipped with feeding them the food that would comfort them in the roughest of times. Not only has this cookbook been a significantly useful aid in kitchens across America, it is one of the best selling cookbooks in American history. Glancing through the pages will yield satisfying answers and a brief walk through history. 

References

"Cakes; Pies." Picture cook book. Facsimile ed. Minneapolis: Wiley Publishing, Inc. and General Mills, 1998, 1950. 117; 295 . Print.

Horner, J. R. (2000). Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook: A gendered ritual response to social crises of the postwar era. Journal Of Communication Inquiry, 24(3), 332.

Neuhaus, J. (1999). The way to a Man's Heart: Gender Roles, Domestic Ideology, and Cookbooks in the 1950s. Journal Of Social History, 32(3), 529.

White Canvas

White canvas is easy to walk by and go unseen, but when there are colors and strokes of design attached, it's hard not to look. I feel like a white canvas right now in my love life. I'm very colorful in my new world of college adventures, but not feeling too pretty at home. Is it ever ridiculous to expect time together after a long day? Or, is it just assumed that all men would prefer a television and beer? I would like to consider myself a different  canvas, one that doesn't harp on your nor make you feel unwelcome. At times I can be moody and not want to be empathetic, but I make up for it when I'm not. Why do I feel ignored after being a genuinely amazing girlfriend on his birthday, for going above and beyond to get him something he never for-saw coming? I want to be applauded for it and thanked, but I just feel like a gift can never make someone see how much you care. It was practically my engagement ring to him.

I understand work is hard and he has a whole deal of pressure on him, but he needs to take a break and come home without having to think about yet again at home. Communication begins to dwindle when couples don't talk and well, we've had a lack of talking. I don't want to act like I'm being unsupportive of him working extremely hard, but I also don't want to feel ignored, nor sacrificed for his choices of how and when to do work.

I am not a white canvas, plain without texture, but I feel a little lopsided right now.

A Little Girl's Wish

Remember back to the time when you used to run into the corner and cry and mother would hold you to tell you it's alright? Remember the day when you first met your lover and they held you like it was the last time? There are no better feelings in the world, than to be held by another. We are human beings, physical creatures who long to be cared for through touch. As much as I can stand by those sweet memories of when I was talked to, or listened to, they cannot even compare to the times when I was touched. The steps into a brand new apartment with your soul mate feel like those first steps down the aisle; inconceivably precious. What happens when you go to sleep and although they are lying next to you, you feel like they're not there? I miss that feeling of being held so sweetly for the first time, that first kiss on the fourth date. I miss those butterflies when he would come over and they slowly faded away. Is it wrong, that I miss those childish feelings of a new relationship?

When you are in love, it's easy to find everything you hate about that person and all of those things you wish they would or wouldn't do. I am finding that I am as vulnerable as I was a teenage girl. I have never cared more about how he looks at me, how he doesn't look at me. How he sits on the couch without wanting me there, how he sleeps so far away from me. How he works on the computer while I'm next to him, staring at him and he won't look back until 30 seconds after I've been staring, asking for a kiss. HE HAS A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN NEXT TO HIM! DOES HE NOT SEE ME? Truth be told, I'm jealous. I'm jealous that I'm not what his world revolves around, but I am what his world revolves around. I guess what I'm trying to say is I miss that obscure outrageous attention I used to get when we would see each other outside of living together. I miss when he would come over and tell me how beautiful I looked and how my apartment felt like home; how he wanted to pin me to the bed and make love to me before eating dinner.

Things are different now, now that we live together. I'm loving and enjoying ever minute we share together, but it's so different. And what makes it even worse is that we are not married, so it makes me feel like I'm not bound to him through a lawful contract. AND HOW AWFUL DOES THAT SOUND? I don't know if you really get what I'm saying here, but if I were married to him before we moved in together, I would feel a little more at ease, that he had more faith and commitment in the relationship. I know he takes this "moving in together" thing seriously, but at times I wonder, can he see that I truly love him and would love to marry him? I don't know. Sometimes I want to just say it, but I can't. Because it's fucking crazy. Regardless, I think I'll just move on with this post and ask, is it shameful to miss those childish butterflies?

To Settle or Not to Settle

The 10th floor up, sitting on your balcony in downtown Manhattan, where rent costs $3,500 for a 650 square foot, 1 bedroom apartment. Have you made it? Are you truly successful? Most women would say yes, as long as it's accompanied by several pairs of Jimmy Choo's, a mink coat or two, and an annual income of $250,000.

The first floor, sitting on a rug in the living room, in Santa Fe, cost of living is $150,000 for a 3 bedroom  house. Have you made it? With a a family of 4, an annual income of $40,000 and a half stained shirt from Marshalls. Which scenario would you adopt as successful and why?

Is it this outstanding image in our mind, that as American women we should have it all? The material success that's tattooed across our asses saying, "Juicy," the burberry printed tote, the Bulgari white diamond encrusted necklace that your husband bought you for your 5th anniversary. Is that what success has created? This divine image of perfection wrapped in cellophane as we trot along with our daughters dressed in Lilly Pulitzer baby shift dresses. It's become a fascinating topic for me this evening as  examine each of these scenarios and which seems more "successful." It's honestly hard for me to say that I wouldn't prefer the first scenario, as living in Manhattan, where the food is outstanding, the fashion prime, and the nightlife is never ending. Then I think to myself, would that buy me all of the success and happiness that building a family would? Never.

As women, we must truly dig inside ourselves and question what it is that we truly want? No, I'm not saying to you, the woman who chose the first scenario, you are a bitch, because you're not. Some women just have different priorities and as we move our ways into this world as becoming more powerful individuals, we will exercise our freedom in all senses. It's not like the typical man, who wants a woman who is going to surrender her liberty, is around anymore. A man wants a woman who is strong in her stance, knows what she is going after and accomplishes it. The standards for women have changed and ladies, I think it's best that we show this world a powerful, strong woman. 

As for tonight, I will keep pondering what it is that truly defines success, because at first, I thought it was anything that constitutes one's happiness. Now, I'm not quite sure.

Where is the Sun?

         I want a desk by the window with flowers sitting on top; a photograph of my dog and I at the park. I want quiet and the ability to think and process information. I want to feel comfortable walking around without my bra on and a makeup-less face. I want to cook whenever I want and exercise whenever I want. I want to be a stay-at-home-mother and enjoy raising my children. I am approaching twenty and I want life to be fabulous wherever I may be within the next year. Is that too much to ask for?
         I don't want to stare at my phone waiting for you to call me back. I want to know that you will be there even when I put up a fuss. I want you to bring me a good chick-flick, chocolate and a bouquet of flowers when I am on my period. I want you to cuddle with me before and after we have sex. I want you boast my presence when we are out in public. I want you to love me even if I'm being a bitch. Is that too much to ask for?
         It seems as though I've arrived at the understanding that women do just need more. We need more emotionally and we need to understand that we are loved and worth the extra fifteen miles for a hug in the middle of the road. But when is it too much?

Is Honking Your Horn Rude?

               When you live in a city full of careless drivers, you can't help but become infuriated when a 49 year old woman decides to pull out of the driveway 200 feet in front of you as you are making your way 40 miles an hour down a major road. So, in this case, what do you do? Do you simply slam on your brakes, making the road more accessible to that ludicrous driver? Do you switch lanes instantaneously hoping not to take the life of the driver you are about to cut off? Or do you make one to six loud honks with your horn communicating to that driver that she is an utter asshole? I chose to take path three and communicated to her and 4 other drivers today. Nothing is more liberating than expressing your right to safety on the road and identifying when it is acceptable to cut off a driver and when it is acceptable to shove it up their ass. Forgive my French, but when did people begin to drive with such diminishing respect towards one another in their the community of drivers that they join everyday. I look at it as a neighborhood and see friends in the drivers seats. In Nashville, drivers are the empyrean of all enemies.
             All I can wonder is if we choose to travel to such extreme lengths to get to our destinations so carelessly, how do we treat one another outside of our driving measures? If Nashville is our canvas and the roads pave our routes to our destinations, then why is it, if we all travel the same road, then why we do so in a reckless manner? When you choose to take the responsibility of operating a vehicle on an public road in the United States, you chances of death increase by 40 percent. One in 10,000 people who operated a vehicle in 2010 died of a motor vehicle accident. These are accidents. Yet, if the majority of people taking responsibility over their vehicles intentionally choose to drive so dangerously, how can we certify these as accidents. Is it when we collide with the vehicle and cause them to spin out of control hitting the railing in the middle of the interstate because we were trying to pass the insanely sluggish Ford focus in front of us and realize that an actual human being is sitting that vehicle unconscious? Is that what measure we have to arrive at in order to understand that we all deserve to have a safe environment on the road?
            Ultimately, it is your choice when you take the reigns to your vehicle. Am I going to honk my horn to notify my right to safety or is it just rude?

The 1950's Housewife

            Doesn't it seem a bit absurd to drop everything you are doing, the environment surrounding you, the friends, the connections, the opportunities, the residency you just obtained for a man? Absolutely! By all means a woman who would choose to do so would have to be in an induced coma resulting from this so-called love affair. So why do I find myself placing in precisely the same situation? More interestingly, I didn't come to college to find a man I would fall in love with, a struggle with declaring a major, nor the idea of connecting with so many wonderful families within the community. I came to college with the simple intent of obtaining a degree in songwriting and becoming a world renowned singer/songwriter. Funny how I ended up taking such a different turn than I had ever expected. Now I am finally coming to an understanding of what I want to do with my life and where I feel that I will find the best suite for a professional career.
          "You don't have to be a shell, you're the one that rules your world. You are strong and you'll learn that you can still go on. You'll always be a pearl." Katy Perry protests that any woman should fall into the trap of a man who takes that peal and locks her up in a shell where she can't shine. Thus, here I am in the same situation sincerely wondering if I should follow a man and expect that things will just work out. I want to be an optimist who focuses all of my energy on what could go well but the realistic side of me is greatly weighing down all of the cons.
           At what age and time is it deemed appropriate for a woman to follow in the foot steps of a man and give up her prior goals and images of a future to be with him? Is that germane after 2 years of a relationship when marriage is expected? Or how about if you are 55 years old and just recently divorced and are sure that the person you found through match.com is your soul mate? Or how about if you have been dating for 7 months and still see this person as your soul mate? Is it just ludicrous? I will begin to weight the pros and cons of the idea. Is this man worth it? How will he support me in this decision? Will there be any commitment that will benefit both of us in the remote future?