Hedy Lamarr was a wartime hero because she helped the U.S. to overtake the Germans in WWll. Hedy was known as an actress in Hollywood during the war, but she also invented a frequency hopping system that allowed the military to gain control of German torpedoes and point them away from the U.S. I chose Hedy because I admire how she constantly defied the standards that were set for women in Hollywood at that time. They tried to set limits, but she climbed over them and saved countless lives. Hedy was ambitious, resilient and determined.

I believe that Hedy Lamarr paved a road for all women in STEM fields. She was always underestimated and people often looked over her in both her acting and inventing careers. Producers saw her as an object and gave her mostly unserious roles in shows, but they didn’t know that behind the scenes she was changing the world.

My vision for my piece was placing Hedy’s acting career in front and placing her inventing career behind her, showing how people viewed her and treated her. I drew her wearing the dress she wore to a 1938 New Years Eve party. 

Now that I have heard her story, I feel like I don’t have to follow one career path or the path that others choose for me. I can be independent but still have someone to lean on and work with. I hope that when people see my artwork or hear Hedy’s story they will feel the same way I did when I heard about her for the first time: that is, powerful, unlimited and independent.