Grandmother Interview

Recently for class, we were asked to interview our grandmothers, or someone close to you that was over the age of 65. I was able to contact my grandmother on my mother’s side of the family and ask her various questions about her life and the issues that arose as she grew up. One thing that I loved about this assignment was that I had just finished studying about the lavish 1920s, the Great Depression, and World War II in history class. Therefore, as my grandmother was explaining her life as a child during this time, I had a better picture in my mind and knew the context from what she was speaking about.

My grandmother was born in 1927 and luckily her father had a good job so they didn’t suffer as much as others did during the Depression. But even though she was just a baby, she can remember the rationing that took place and seeing other families around her crumble. I am a bit older than she was during that time, and so I can understand the economic crash that just happened better than she could have understood the depression. But the fact that she noticed the little things that affected her life reminds me of myself. I can remember when the crash happened a couple years ago, and restaurants would be easier to get into, for sale signs on cars would say “For Sale Due To Recession”, and most frightening of all, I know numerous people who lost their jobs. Even though the Great Depression was about 80 years ago, the impact on children’s lives is still the same for the crash of 2007.

The thing that I loved most talking about with my grandmother was her social life, especially as a teenager. She said that the dress code was “very classic, skirts and sweaters with pearls, and penny loafers or high heels with a dress.” I find it so funny that I can walk down the street, 70 years later, and still see the same thing. It may be altered slightly to fit in with our generation, but the basic principles are there. Looking back at fashion, so many different styles have been brought back, then pushed away, and then brought back again. Fashion is just recycling old ideas. But this is probably the thing that attracts me most to fashion, because it connects my generation with others from the past. There are not many other ways in which to experience the lifestyles of the past, but in one way, fashion allows us to feel the confidence and pride of putting on an outfit, that some girl felt 70 years ago.

While discussing how the relationship between men and women has changed or stayed the same over time, my grandmother stated that, “Many women are not as willing to work on marriage stability as they once were.” Nowadays, divorce is a common thing. Marriage has become much less serious, transforming into a spontaneous and funny story you tell people, or a decision over cast with emotion, and no logic. But in the past, things were different. You would work on your marriage and not even dream of splitting up. The man you married was the man you were going to be with for the rest of your life, no exceptions. In some ways, I think this took power away from women. It was always the woman tied to the man, not the other way around. Today, women have the power of choice. If they are not happy in their marriage, they shouldn’t have to live the rest of their life that way. In no way am I saying that divorce is a great thing. I believe that you should be absolutely sure about marrying someone and not make a mistake. But if you unfortunately do, luckily women don’t have to pay the price for it anymore.

I fully enjoyed talking to my grandmother about various issues and loved the connections I was able to make to my life. All women, from babies to grandmothers, have a connection. Not because they are the same sex, but because of the issues we all share. We are not alone in this world, and we shouldn’t pretend that we are.