Maguire, Emma (2020) Young women won’t be told how to behave, but is #girlboss just deportment by another name? The Conversation, 26 February 2020.

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Abstract

[Extract] In today’s terms, June Dally-Watkins was Australia’s OG (original gangster) #girlboss.

The illegitimate child of a single mother, Dally-Watkins came from humble rural beginnings and found fame as a young model in 1950s Sydney. She turned this fame into a fortune, using her profile to start a chain of finishing and deportment schools for young women and, later, young men.

Dally-Watkins’ schools, which still operate today, taught catwalk strutting, posing for photographs, and make-up application. She taught models how to win beauty pageants and taught men how to court like gentlemen. And she made a lot of money doing it.

Dally-Watkins died earlier this week, and is being remembered as a strict yet charming teacher and a very successful businesswoman. The legacy of Dally-Watkins and what she symbolises as a successful and feminine woman presents an opportunity to think through some of the ways our culture both applauds and maligns women’s success.

Item ID:	69650
Item Type:	Article (Commentary)
ISSN:	2201-5639
Copyright Information:	We believe in the free flow of information. We use a Creative Commons Attribution NoDerivatives license, so you can republish our articles for free, online or in print.
Date Deposited:	13 Oct 2021 23:31
FoR Codes:	44 HUMAN SOCIETY > 4405 Gender studies > 440509 Women's studies (incl. girls' studies) @ 100%
SEO Codes:	13 CULTURE AND SOCIETY > 1302 Communication > 130204 The media @ 100%
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