I recently came across this Second World War US ad for Buna bath-towels on the web.
I could say something about lost ‘innocence’ and how in the past a lack of knowingness could, paradoxically, mean more explicitness. Or how patriotic gay porn was being used to sell product to women 60 years ago.
Or how those gay bath-house shower scenes in ‘Top Gun’ suddenly look much more realistic and traditional.
But all I can really say is: where do I get some Buna bath-towels??
![\buna2 Army bath time\](http://marksimpson.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/buna2.jpg "\buna2 photo\")
Funny, and sexy, but nothing pornographic about it. Homosexuality probably seemed too distant and taboo for these guys and the ads’ readers to read into them any explicit homoeroticism. It’s just servicemen getting clean, enjoying their camaraderie, and happy not to have died in battle. (And any gay soldiers among them would probably feel this way, too.)
Yes, of course it’s not actually pornographic. But I suspect Dr Kinsey would have disagreed with you about homosexuality being ‘too distant and taboo’ for Second World War soldiers and Marines….
For my part, I can’t quite believe that advertising has ever been entirely innocent, even when it wasn’t depicting naked muscular young men frolicing together for the delectation of housewives.
I find it hard to believe that these pictures are even the real thing(were published for a straight audience) It looks like a gathering of exceedingly well turned out models flouting their awesome wares. Anyone who thinks that this picture is “innocent ‘ has to recalibrate their sense of reality. Even the ‘joie de vivre’ of these soldiers has a clear sexual content. It’s hard to believe that this bunch could resist one another.
Granted the audience may be really dense, if they bought this, but the artist sure knew what he was doing. It ’s ultra homoerotic. I think even the natives were shocked!
I would sure join up fast, if that was an average group.
I also came across this ad…TWICE!
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