It’s a painted poster of a woman on a yellow background. She’s wearing a red and white polka-dot headscarf and a blue button-up. She’s cuffing up her sleeve and a talk bubble is painted above her head that says, “We can do it!” I’m guessing you’ve seen this image.

I can do it! There’s something about this image that I’ve always loved and felt motivated by. But now, as an adult, a wife and mother, I’m wondering if I can and if I should. Do. It. All.

A part of me never questioned why I was so familiar with this image. I didn’t grow up during World War II and the call to bring women to work while our men were off at war.

Here’s a history lesson. (Hang with me! It’s short and pretty interesting!) While this poster was painted in the ‘40s, it was popularized in the ‘80s. It was painted in series for Westinghouse Electrics for an internal program to reduce absenteeism, raise employee morale, and prevent a factory strike. (And in case it’s hard to see, these are photos of a Westinghouse fan that I grew up around that’s now mine.)

Funny thing is, the “we” in “We can do it!” was never meant to be only women. The “we” was originally Westinghouse employees – male and female.

In 1982, the poster was published in a Washington Post Magazine article about National Archives. After that, the poster was absorbed into the cultural fabric of the ‘80s, becoming an image of female empowerment.

Now, wonder with me.

Perhaps out of the women’s movement of the ‘60s, the next few generations were left with a message of hope and empowerment that turned into confusion and bitterness. For me, somehow that image translated to “We can do it ALONE” and “We can do it ALL.”

This pressure of feeling like we are meant to do it all and do it alone, it’s not just a personal issue, it’s a communal issue. We wrestle with it in our schedules, our homes, our marriages. This is something we figure out personally, but this is something we share communally.

Ladies, we were never meant to do it all.
If you have a spouse, he’s there to partner with you in life.
If you have kids, there are others out there to parent with you – grandparents, spouses, churches, friends.
If you are single, there’s a community out there waiting to support you – you may not have met them yet.
Not ‘doing it all’ involves others. It’s messy. It’s uncomfortable. 

I don’t know about you, but as for that motivational poster, I kinda love it. I always have. I love that she’s strong, prepared, and feminine. So, it’s okay to let this Westinghouse poster motivate you today. (Or inspire this year’s Halloween costume.) But, let’s make sure we understand something. Instead of changing the statement to “We can do it ALONE,” let’s make sure we know it’s “We can do it TOGETHER.”

Don’t stop there. What does this mean for your life? What have you been doing alone that you can instead do together? I’d love to hear your stories!