"The Newsgirl Question": Competing Frames of Progressive Era Girl Newsies.

It was a much-repeated line in newspapers across the US: While newsboys could make money selling papers by keeping their eyes peeled, their female counterparts could only sell papers by keeping their eyes appealing. This oft-repeated adage is an example of the gendered experiences of Progressive Era newsgirls—girls and young women who hawked newspapers as newsies on city streets. Newsgirls took up a disproportionate amount of public conversation during this period compared to their male counterparts, yet they have been brushed past by historians. This research suggests the image of newsgirls was strategically framed and exploited to further reformer's causes, bolster newspapers' business, or excuse the public's equal parts of apathy and fascination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]