tags:: #power #feminism #Women-employees #telephone-operators projects::[[]]
With the invention of the telephone, Bell decided to hire young women to do the work of operators, connecting lines for customers. In order to avoid a repeat of constant line ‘noise’, Bell instilled a Foucault-inspired regime on his female operators, controlling everything from their voice to their diets. Carmi (2015) explains that “Bell broke down the operating service into distinct repetitive stages and aimed to standardise them, while putting strong emphasis on speed” (6). These women were trained to be automized smile machines for the customer, to the point where they were even sent out to ‘entertain’ male soldiers. Carmi’s (2015) article notes a popular pattern to be explored in history; the expectation of women to uphold an unattainable standard that serves patriarchal ideals.