Beauty Guru

Beauty Guru

From It's Baton Rouge: Out to Lunch by ItsBatonRouge.la

February 15, 2026 · 27 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the historical context of women in the workforce and features Sidney Coffee's journey as a small business owner.

A little wartime history: In 1940, at the start of World War II, approximately 12 million women were working outside the household in the United States, comprising about 25% of the female population. That number rose significantly during the war to over 18 million by 1945, as the U.S. government encouraged women in posters and commercial advertising to volunteer for wartime service in factories. Inspired by a song by Redd Evans and John Jacob Loeb, Rosie the Riveter, the brawny brunette with a red, polka dotted headscarf, became an icon of the war and women’s movement.   Today, women make up nearly half of the total U.S. labor force. And if, like me, you grew up with a mother who owned a small business, then you won’t be surprised at all that women make up nearly 45% of all businesses in the U.S., employing over 10.5 million workers and generating over $3.3 trillion in revenue. As an ad from the Sixties used to say, “You’ve come a long way, baby.” Sidney Coffee became a small business owner after decades of public service. Originally from Texas, Sidney came to Baton Rouge to attend college at LSU. She began her career in journalism at&nbsp…

Topics covered

  • women in business
  • history
  • small business ownership

Keywords

  • Rosie the Riveter
  • World War II
  • female labor force
  • entrepreneurship

Mentioned in this episode

Products: BeautyFindr

Books & works: Out to Lunch

Places: the United States, U.S., Texas, Baton Rouge, Arkansas, Lake Charles

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