Suffrage

This is a very effective and affecting suffrage film released shortly before women got the vote. It paints suffragists in a positive light. They are shown as respectable and attractive.
An "Anti" (the term used for those against suffrage) film from 1912 portraying suffragists dressed as men and gambling. The implication was that if women got the right to vote they would become manly and, further, emasculate men. There was a fear that the social hierarchy would change by women getting the right to vote.
Tableau presented by the Women’s Suffrage Association on the Treasury steps, 1913
German actress Hedwig Reicher wearing costume of “Columbia” in front of the Treasury Building, 1913
Inez Milholland Boissevain preparing to lead the suffrage parade in Washington, DC, 1913

The 1910s were shaped by the battle over women's right to vote. Eventually, suffragists launched a very successful PR campaign, filling the media with images of themselves appearing attractive and stylish. They also portrayed themselves as intelligent, responsible, and great mothers. They drew influence from female heroic figures like Joan of Arc. Both suffragists and anti-suffragists used cinema to influence the public. Women created a powerful and expansive unity fighting for the right to vote. Because of the intensity with which women joined together, they won the 19th Amendment in 1919.