As I develop my project, My Fair Lady, a primary goal is defining my audience. My Fair Lady is a project that seeks to showcase speeches and discussions given by The Congress of Representative Women at the 1893 Chicago World Fair. Topics consisted of race, gender, and sex. I want to provide a look into how women challenged notions of femininity during a period when women were meant to be genteel, and the Congress of Representative Women confronted those notions.

During this process, I have come to refine who I want my project to connect with. I had to consider internet access and those who might actually be prompted to interact with a digital project of this nature. Where would these people be located? What is their background? All of these have prompted me to keep in mind that I am creating a project for the public rather than myself. When dealing with the public it is important to remind myself of factors relating to economic If the public is viewing this, how do I want them to view it? To interact with it? What will they take away?

I conducted a couple interviews with individuals I thought might be a part of my audience. When I created my interview questions, there was one in particular that I was interested in a response. I wanted to know how they defined femininity. This question directly confronts how we view a woman’s image today versus how it was viewed back in 1893 during the World Fair, and why it was such a big deal that women were giving speeches dealing with taboo topics.

As I move forward in constructing My Fair Lady, I now have a foundation to keep in mind. I want students, researchers, budding historians, and women to connect with my project. I might consider adding a portion that allows visitors to react or comment on their feelings about women and their role in order to juxtapose or add interconnection to modern discussion. My Fair Lady is still in development but, these questions have opened a way for me to continue to shape my project in a way that is focused on the needs of my audience.