We spoke to USC’s own Rosie the Riveter

From Beyoncé headlining Coachella, to Kamala Harris’ inauguration as first Indiana American Senator, women have run the world this week. Now, USC’s Ilana Spiegel readies to make her first internet mark with a modern twist for the iconic woman with a red hair kerchief, Rosie the Riveter.

Spiegel, a junior transfer of Chinese, Russian-German and Jewish heritage, didn’t see herself portrayed by the women on screen. So when a class assignment to create a project using new media hit her desk, Spiegel took the challenge as an opportunity to tell her colorful story.

“We can do it!” by Ilana Spiegel.

Spiegel created a series of media posters, inspired by Rosie the Riveter, featuring 10 women, 9 of which are USC students, of different races, sexualities and religions, and political views rocking the original Rosie the Riveter ensemble. Each student added their own twist, from literally twisting the red hair kerchiefs differently, to one student opting out of the kerchief for a head scarf instead. Ilana’s project has touched the internet’s sweet spot, spurring widespread comments on her Facebook, to landing a feature on USA TODAY College.

Coffee in hand, The Tab sat down with the student behind the kerchief.

Your project has blown up online. How do you feel?

It’s been crazy. I posted my project, Modern Rosie, on Facebook’s Pantsuit Nation, as a way to get feedback for a class project and suddenly thousands of people all over the country started to like and share what I was doing. I was almost expecting negative feedback, to see how some people would respond to something so traditional, like Rosie the Riveter being modernized, but there was barely negative feedback. One person wrote, “You didn’t think you’d inspire a single father with two adopted African-American girls, but you did.”

Facebook comment for Ilana.

Facebook reactions to Ilana’s media projects.

Why Rosie?

She’s such an iconic character and I wanted people to see her differently, to reconsider who and what she could represent. When I was younger, I loved Rosie, but struggled to identify with her, as a mixed-race Jewish woman from Los Angeles. As I was shooting and editing this project, I was thrilled to see all these different manifestations of Rosie. As a kid, I struggled to find a woman that represented me. Disney’s Mulan is probably the closest because she almost looks like me, but she was still missing something. This project became a manifestation of the childhood dream I had. I wanted everyone to be able to see themselves as Rosie, as their own hero.

Ilana Spiegel

Did you choose mainly minority women to be in your project?

Yes. Most of it had to do with scheduling, but I had a vision. I wanted this project to bring awareness to the alienation minorities feel due to lack of representation in mainstream media. I wanted to point out that not everyone looks like the original Rosie the Riveter. She’s a 1940s white, cisgendered, assumedly straight, Christian woman, and today, not everyone can check those boxes. We need to recognize and embrace that.

Tell me about the shooting day

It was so much fun. Most of the girls were members of my film fraternity, DKA, and they were so eager to add their own spin to the modern Rosie. After the shoot I asked them, “Who do you think you are? What do you identify as?” They volunteered a lot of information, like their religion and sexuality, which I couldn’t get from just looking at them. I wanted them to be everything you wanted to be and could be in that one photo. This whole project was focused on bringing out their strengths.

Where do you get your strength from?

My mom. She’s my best friend. She’s so strong and funny.  She was diagnosed with breast cancer four months ago, but she’s the strongest woman I know. A few days before I posted my project online, she actually sent me a photo of her dressed as Rosie because she’s decided for every round of chemo, she’s dressing up as a badass female character. First she was a mermaid, then Wonder Woman, and then Rosie. She decided, “Fuck cancer! It can take my hair, but it can’t take my style.” She’s always been this guiding force in my life. She told me every day when I was growing up, “Ilana, work hard and make the world a better place.” I try to do that every day.

Ilana’s mother.

How will you make the world a better place?

I’ve been working with RatPac Entertainment for two years and I’ve noticed how the film industry is cluttered with very narrow range of voices. There’s such a need for different voices, for more diversity. I want to encourage people through film, even just one little girl in Missouri, to say, “I can be Rosie, so I can do anything,” and hopefully she’ll take her power and share it. I plan to finish my Bachelor’s at USC and then continue working in film.

Will President-Elect Trump get in your way?

Hell no. I saw the election results with by my DKA brothers and sisters. We were all sitting together, we all cried together. I cried, but I didn’t cry for myself. I was crying for the people around me, those who are going to be most affected by this election. After I passed the five stages of grief, I decided instead of accepting it, I was going to be determined. We decided, “This is not a time to cry. Now, we make art.” That’s what I feel we can do as a nation. We can create and build and move forward together. If we believe Rosie did it, we can do it too.