Often, an adult or young girl forgets what it means to be free from societal pressures. But you and I know that there is always an opportunity to live the life you want to live, despite obstacles or other people's ideas of what you should be. Society has placed restrictive expectations on women in the past and today, leading to misconceptions regarding their role. “We live in a world today where people don't keep an open mind,” admits Mrs. Mary (Mary), 75 years old. Born in the small town of Bellefonte, Pennsylvania after World War II, Ms. Mary grew up in a time and place where life was simpler and optimism ignited the dreams of many. Girls, imagine graduating from high school in the 1950s. Women were expected to be caring mothers, hardworking housewives, and obedient wives (Cey). But all women were mothers, and societal conformity is a thing of the past, right? Fake. Before the interview, we believed in the “single story” (Adichie) that women living in the 1950s remained domesticated and rarely took on roles outside the home. Independent and highly educated, Mrs. Mary challenges the steady conformity of housewives of the past. Currently, as an elementary school tutor, democratic activist, active church member, and leader of several nursing home committees, Ms. Mary strives to take the initiative to help others, like herself did it all his life. . She never gave up her roles to conform to the ideas of others or to act like the ideal woman of the society of the time. As a leader in many of her lifestyle assets, Ms. Mary continues to challenge the social norms she grew up in, just as she did as a young adult. With such a busy schedule, Ms. Mary remains an observant and active participant in society, as well as a contributing factor to her local community. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay Now retired, Ms. Mary still doesn't let her age or health catch up. Having quit smoking permanently at the age of 35 and remaining active as a runner/walker, she serves as a role model for people her age in her community. It is very intriguing that a woman from such a different cultural background could be open to such beliefs today. Today we know that exercise is essential to a healthy lifestyle and that smoking is one of the most physically harmful things you can do to yourself, but society did not have the same ideas about the era. In fact, smoking was considered GOOD for you, and running was considered BAD for you! Mrs. Mary, having opinions like us women today, shows her versatility to change and openness to new ideals. As a child in the 1940s, Ms. Mary remembers feeling safe staying outside “when the street lights came on.” When were kids these days able to do that? Right after the war, she went to school knowing that the world had hope for a new era. Our perception of war is very different today; While Mrs. Mary went to school knowing that better things lay ahead for the country, we as young people today have the perception that greater things are not yet to come for a country at war . These different views of the country give us young women and Ms. Mary a completely different outlook on life. She developed a love for school, with “a lotless pressure than kids today,” and discovered she was good at helping others. In the 1950s, she says, "the dollar was at its highest level ever" and the economy was booming. High economic stability and overall morale contributed to Ms. Mary's motivation to pursue a college education and a career as a teacher (Mary). Today, when there may be less economic stability in the United States and many of you feel the need to attend college, there may be fewer economic opportunities there. Very interested in school and loving children, Ms. Mary attended Pennsylvania State University as an elementary education major and later earned her master's degree, following her dream of becoming a teacher. It is timeless that women love children, but this was a major step to embark on the path of education. It is widely believed that women in the 1950s were only concerned with receiving their “Madame”. diploma- that is, a husband. Women felt societal pressure to focus on their marriage and becoming a happy housewife (Daniels). Although women had other aspirations in life, family was the focus and the culture and media argued that a husband was far more important to young women than a college degree (Daniels). This may no longer be the case for us. When asked about marriage, Ms. Mary said she was married once, only briefly, and then divorced – husbands and families were not the sole focus of ALL women throughout the years 50. Mrs. Mary was not defined by being the perfect wife and mother; She did not comply! During her middle years, Ms. Mary moved several times during her teaching career. Teachers played a major role in the integration of schools in the late 1950s and 1960s. Living and teaching in Greenwich, Connecticut, Mrs. Mary was never fully aware of the minority communities in her town (Mary ). Most of the students were white and “affluent.” It wasn't until she moved to Alexandria, Virginia that she became involved in ongoing political activism. She recalls: “The integration of black and white schools was a difficult transition. » She herself noticed the valuable lessons of change (Mary). She says: “It was difficult to learn new types of racing; they all learn and mature very differently” (Mary). Change scares us and it is difficult to assimilate to new circumstances and new people. We are often quick to judge or stereotype, but often the diversity we encounter enriches our interactions with others. Although Mrs. Mary played a major role that students in our story learned from, she also had many lessons. Mary lived in Alexandria until 1999. She remembers that there wasn't a big influx of other races into schools until the 1980s, with a large growth in the Hispanic population. Of that, she said, “it's great to have a great mix of people, so much racial integration, there's a lot to learn. » The integration of schools contributed to Ms. Mary's style of global citizenship and was consistent with her life choices. . She was open to new experiences and was not a conforming member of society! If she had been less open-minded, she would have had difficulty responding to such cultural adversity, that of racial integration. Can you imagine being a teacher during this monumental cultural transition? It's almost 2015 and there are.