Death by Jello

Movie: The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio. I’m not sure how anyone can retain such cheerfulness and optimism with an alcoholic, emotionally abusive husband and ten children to take care of on next to no money and without Prozac. I wasn’t alive in the 1950s and only remember a few years in the late 1960s, but housewives also didn’t have the conveniences of microwaves, disposable diapers, dishwashers. Either the fact that this was based on a memoir written by one of the children remembering things better than they were (the house is spotless, the meals are on time, the children are perfectly behaved) or Evelyn Ryan truly was a saint. It’s interesting to note how male opinion of women in the work force has changed. The husband in this film was horribly threatened by his wife’s entering silly contests. Today, men seem to expect women to contribute half, and in some cases all, the family earnings. And, of course, nowadays women don’t have to stay in a bad relationship if they don’t want to. I also found it interesting how the women in the jingle writing club were supportive of each other, emotionally and professionally. From Defiance to Mean Girls in several short decades.