Perceptions of homoerotica in old advertising.
I have an interest in old advertising. Particularly the post war American advertising with this being an example from Cannon Sheets.
In the fervour of patriotic advertising in World War 2 American companies would race to somehow connect their products with the on-going War effort.
It is interesting to look at how perceptions have changed over the years. A viewer looking at this today in 2018 would imagine this to be some sort of advert for a luxury gay resort with complete with hot guys bathing it up with ripped muscles.
For the 1940s perspective, other than a bunch of closeted man getting titillated, or perhaps, cockilated, by the G.I.s they would have seen something else. A group of wholesome white men defending freedom as they smash the AXIS powers up the boot of Italy. I am not sure that the Americans were having that much fun while fighting and most likely would need bath, so I guess it makes sense on some level.
I was thinking that maybe when they designed this they understood the gay thing a little bit. They stuck in a women at the bottom to balance it out.
