While surfing the web today I saw that Nancy Drew turned 85 this week. It took me back to my childhood when Nancy was, besides Harry Potter, my go-to literature. I realized that I was older Nancy Drew, and that made me think about everything I had learned from those books… like what the word “titian” meant. Nancy Drew taught me a lot about life. Most importantly that femininity can mean anything you want it to. Nancy, Bess, George, and Hannah each typified a different idea of what a (albeit White) woman could be.
Bess’ “charming chubbiness” wasn’t what held her back, like it does for so many other women in media. It was her own fear and timidity that held her back, but only when she let it, which was rare. No matter how fearful Bess was, she would take it into her own hands, address it, and most often, shove it aside. Bess craved the approval of others, which I can relate to, but at the end of the day, found more meaning in approving of herself.
George, the “tomboy,” didn’t care whether others approved of her or not. She flouted the rules for the women of the 1930s and was always the first one down for adventure. Before the boys, George would volunteer to get into the messy adventures of sleuthing, and would outperform anyone around her. Her competitive streak got the better of her, but that didn’t stop her from making everything something she could compete in, and win.
Hannah was the beloved housekeeper who cooked, cleaned, and cared for the Drews. She supported Nancy while injecting a sense of reality into her pseudo-daughter, reminding her of danger, and to not be stupid. Hannah listened to Nancy’s troubles, always there with some comfort food and the reminder to “take care of yourself.” While she worried, she also let Nancy do what she needed to do, and enjoyed doing.
Nancy, of course, could do anything with the markers of the 1930s woman. She tapped out Morse code in heels, wrote secret messages in lipstick, and picked countless locks with bobby pins. She loved shopping, being with her friends, and solving mysteries. She was the stereotypical female but who wasn’t afraid to use that to her advantage, and get her hands dirty in a smart tweed skirt-set.
I didn’t just learn about femininity though, Nancy taught me about the importance of family, friends, self-care, but most importantly about doing what you want and love to do. Nancy decided to start her own detective business, for all intents and purposes, and she succeeded. She helped anyone who asked, and even some who didn’t. Special favorites were those being victimized or targeted by some larger power. She didn’t care about when people thought she was being “too nosy” because she knew the limit, and she cared about getting to the truth for those who couldn’t get to it themselves. Thank you Nan, and happy birthday!