My nonagenarian uncle is very fond of telling me stories about how he, his buddies and a bunch of foxy WAVES liberated Europe in World War II. Looking at The Pin Ups That Went To War site, I can see why: American women in silky, diaphanous dresses and one-piece bathing suits must have rooted Jerry to the ground, paralyzed by a full body attack of the ga-gas.
One interesting thing about the 40's era pin-up is just how much sexier they are than what I suppose would be the modern-day equivalent: pornography. All these women (with the exception of the always frog-like Bette Davis) are perfectly put together and just drop-dead gorgeous. Glamor — not nudity or the peeled back folds of secret skin — was the definition of sex appeal back then.
It's also shocking to notice just how beautiful some of these women were in their youth. The photo of Joan Bennett breaks my heart... a woman long faded that I'll never be able to love in the flesh. And Elizabeth Taylor — a name I primarily associate with an elderly, chalk-faced gorgon — fully justifies the cult of sex that still clings to her name. And Rita Hayworth, in her youth, may very well have been the most beautiful woman in the world.
The Pin Ups That Went To War [Galbreath.net]
