In the 1950s, thousands of “social guidance” films were shown in schools and community groups. Their purpose was to shape behavior according to traditional gender norms. “Nice Girls Don’t Ask” creatively reworks footage from vintage educational films to cast a subversive but humorous lens on the proffered rules and expectations. What was the cost of this behavioral straitjacket for a generation of women?
17 minutes | 2025
Director’s Statement
My mother was a math major in college and a highly capable woman. Because she married in the 1950s, she conformed to societal expectations and became a housewife and mother. I came of age in the 1960s – a time when women enjoyed more freedom. Is the pendulum creeping back? “Nice Girls Don’t Ask” is a personal film in which I function as a ventriloquist. Although my voice is not heard, I speak through the editorial use of archival imagery and sounds.
Credits
Producer, Director, Editor – Jan Krawitz
Archival Producer – Ellie Wen
Graphics – Peter Berger
Colorist – Robert Arnold
Sound Mix – Dan Olmsted
Archival Footage – Internet Archive in association with Prelinger Archives
Funding:
Clayman Institute for Gender Research
Bogliasco Foundation
Pauline Brown Fund for American Art, Stanford University
Contact
Jan Krawitz is available for speaking engagements with her films at conferences and universities. She also conducts master classes and presents public talks about documentary film as a Visiting Filmmaker.