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Humanities › History & Culture
'The Help' and 1960s Feminism
Picking Up Where Kathryn Stockett Left Off
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by Linda Napikoski
Updated May 16, 2017
The Help is set in Mississippi during the early 1960s, when the groundswell of feminism's "second wave" was still building. Kathryn
Stockett's novel revolves around events in 1962-1963, before the women's liberation movement, before Betty Friedan and other feminist
leaders founded the National Organization for Women, before the media invented the myth of bra-burning. Although The Help is an
imperfect depiction of the 1960s and the author stifles the budding feminism of some of her characters, the novel does touch on many issues
that were relevant to 1960s feminism.
Viola Davis celebrates lm version of "The Help" in 2012. Dave M. Benett/Getty Images
'The Help' and 1960s Feminism
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ISSUES WORTH EXPLORING
Skeeter's Rebelliousness/Independence
A hint of feminism in The Help may be most evident in post-college Skeeter, the young woman who questions restrictions placed on her
by society's traditions. Her Southern socialite best friends have conformed to expectations by marrying, having children (or trying to)
and even questioning why Skeeter stayed four years at Ole Miss to finish her degree, while they were dropping out of school. Skeeter is
ill d d ill i fi i b h i bili d i l d h di f i h h h f f i i i h i d
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still trapped and still trying to fit in, but her inability to do so is partly due to her discomfort with the myth of femininity she is expected
to live.
White Women and Women of Color
The so-called second wave of feminism is often criticized for being too white. Betty Friedan's classic The Feminine Mystique and other
1960s feminism accomplishments often came from a limited, white, middle-class point of view. Similar criticisms have been applied to
The Help. This is partly because it is written by a white author who narrates in the black voices of Minny and Aibileen, and partly
because of the way white voices in the U.S. continually tell the story of the Civil Rights Movement from a limited point of view. Many
critics have questioned Kathryn Stockett's ability to speak for "the help." Although the story is about white and black women working
together, it is difficult and even dangerous for them to do so. The Help reminds readers that some 1960s feminists were perceived as
busily organizing, protesting and advocating without bringing women from other races to the table.
Women and Civil Rights
Which comes first for African-American women, civil rights as blacks or liberation as women? This theme was explored by many black
feminist activists, with some theorists responding that it is clearly an unfair question. The either/or dichotomy is part of the problem.
No woman should be asked to give up any part of her sense of self.
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Sisterhood
The term "sisterhood" became a theme and rallying cry of feminism in the 1960s and 1970s. Use of the word was criticized by some, in
part because of the racist and classist assumptions ascribed to white women's liberation activists who used the word The Help
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part because of the racist and classist assumptions ascribed to white women s liberation activists who used the word. The Help
emphasizes the solidarity of women in many different situations, often crossing racial boundaries.
MarriageDespite her independent streak, Skeeter feels the pressure to marry, and nearly does so even when both emotional and
logical signs point toward no. The marriages of various characters in the book - Skeeter's parents, her friends, Aibileen, Minny, Stuart's
parents, Celia Foote - are nearly all presented with problems that are intertwined with gender power dynamics.
Domestic ViolenceMinny faces abuse from her husband Leroy with some degree of resignation. However, author Kathryn Stockett
does seem at times to approach it with an ironic awareness of the public attention that would soon come to the issue of domestic
violence. Feminist organizations such as NOW addressed domestic violence as one of their priority issues.
Women in Publishing
Elaine Stein, the editor from New York who helps Skeeter, freely states that she will help because she recognizes the need for a woman
to have a mentor, a connection or some kind of "in" to the male-dominated publishing industry.
Economics, Maids and the "Pink-Collar Ghetto"
African-American women depicted in The Help had to earn a living as maids in white families' homes. Few other opportunities were
available to them - very few. Feminists of the 1960s are often remembered for "getting women out of the home." The truth is, many
women did work outside of the home already, but one of the chief concerns of feminists was that women were relegated to lower paying
jobs of less prestige with less advancement opportunity and less satisfaction. The term "pink-collar" refers to the "traditional," lower-
paid women's jobs.
Empowering the "Help": How the Personal Is Political
The book's main plot is about women telling their stories in a society that has long refused to hear their voices. Whether or not the novel
is flawed or the author can properly speak for African-American maids, the idea of women speaking their truth as a path to greater
social enlightenment is considered the backbone of feminism.
