Milford Museum Hosting Educational Program on Women in WWII Propaganda

Dr. Marguerite Hoyt will present “Glamour Girls: The Portrayal of Women in World War II Propaganda Posters, Films, and Vogue Magazine” at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 14, at the Milford Public Library. (Photo courtesy of Milford Museum.)

The Milford Museum American History Series will continue Saturday, March 14, with a presentation exploring how women were portrayed in World War II-era propaganda.

The program, titled Glamour Girls: The Portrayal of Women in World War II Propaganda Posters, Films, and Vogue Magazine, will be presented by Dr. Marguerite Hoyt at 1 p.m. at the Milford Public Library.

The talk examines how governments used propaganda during World War II to influence public behavior and how Hollywood’s portrayal of women shaped that messaging. According to program materials, “Propaganda is a tool that governments use to direct people to act in a certain way or to emulate certain behaviors. It is not always bad, but it is always biased.”

The presentation is based on Dr. Hoyt’s research into World War II propaganda posters depicting women. By analyzing imagery from posters, magazines, and film, she explored the influence of Hollywood glamour on government-commissioned artwork. “It turns out that Hollywood glamour showed up in government posters in sometimes surprising ways, as will be presented in this talk,” according to the program description.

Dr. Hoyt earned her Ph.D. in history from Johns Hopkins University in 2003 and has taught at Catholic University of America, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and Goucher College, where she offered courses in Women’s Studies and American History. While at Goucher, she helped organize faculty and student efforts to establish assault and sexual harassment programs.

Since retiring from academia, Hoyt has worked as a history consultant and writer. Her work has appeared in Readings in Gendered Communication and the Encyclopedia of War and American Society. She has presented research on images of women during World War II at national and international conferences and appeared in the 2010 documentary film Scrappers: How the Heartland Won World War II.

Sponsored by the Milford Museum, the American History Series features monthly programs on local, state, and national history. Presentations are held on the second Saturday of each month at 1 p.m. at the Milford Public Library, 11 S.E. Front St., Milford.

For more information, contact the museum at 302-424-1080 or tom@milfordDEmuseum.org. The programs are supported through a grant from the Delaware Heritage Commission.