Previous: Ordinance Recruitment Poster
Gender roles in society were just beginning to change when WW1 broke out. Before this time, some women were starting to be able to enter professions, hold government positions, and start their own businesses. Some of the more progressive countries even granted them the right to vote. Joining the military was still, however, a strictly male duty. The ideal man of that time was one that protected their family and by transition, their country. This American poster can be clearly seen as appealing to this male ego. Depicting a woman wishing she was a man so she can join the Navy gives out the underhanded notion that men should be thankful they are men and take advantage of the unique opportunity they have to enlist and serve. All subtleness then goes out the window in the following sentences, flat out telling its viewers, “Be A Man and Do It (enlist in the Navy).” This poster ties a man’s masculinity to nationalistic pride and encouraged him to satisfy both societal expectations of him by joining the Navy and fighting for his country/family.
Digital History Project 