This study is essentially a descriptive account of the images of women labeled as prostitutes in the newspapers of Muncie, Indiana, at the turn of the century. In addition, attention was also given to how women as a group were presented. It was suspected that there would be a correlation between the images of women stigmatized by arrest and the images of those other women whose status or behavior was thought to merit inclusion in the newspapers.This paper includes: 1. a brief overview of the social, economic and political dynamics of the town in 1895, 1905 and 1914, 2. a section on images of the prostitute as portrayed by the newspapers during these years as well as an attempt to evaluate the actual, as opposed to symbolic, position of women identified as prostitutes and 3. a review of the activities and images of other women as presented in newspaper accounts.The main findings are: 1. In 1895, prostitutes were presented as stigmatized but integral members of the community who were routinely regulated by law enforcers while women as a group were newsworthy primarily when involved with the legal system in cases involving, marriage, divorce and suicide. 2. In 1905, the prostitute had become a symbol of individual and communal decay while women in general were portrayed within the context of romantic love whereby passion led to elopements, divorce, suicide and interpersonal violence. 3. By 1915, the image of women labeled as prostitutes had shifted again to that of a youthful victim of socioeconomic processes. This new image was linked with the much publicized ascendancy of middle-class women into the public sphere as professionals, club members and active reformers in the town. 4. Women labeled as prostitutes suffered a loss of status and legal protection between 1895and 1915 while women actively involved in public life experienced increased visibility and affirmation in the newspapers.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/181326 |
| Date | January 1986 |
| Creators | Szopa, Anne |
| Contributors | Hoover, Dwight W. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | 2, ii, 239 leaves ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
| Coverage | n-us-in |
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