Pinups

After World War I, many American soldiers came home from Europe with French postcards depicting sensual young women. During the 1920s, middle-class youth rebelled against the strict moral codes of the previous generation, and American magazines began to publish illustrations of flappers and bathing beauties. By the end of the decade, bathing beauty calendars had become popular. World War II, however, saw pinups, photos, and illustrations of beautiful young women in seductive poses become a major industry. Pinups were legitimized during World War II when the U.S. government and the film industry operated hand in hand to distribute pictures of ...