Women Take Away Men’s Honor, Blamed by Military for Spread of Venereal Disease
In order to understand honor, defining it is necessary. The military viewed men’s honor in terms of purity. This virgin purity could be maintained through sexual abstinence thereby preventing sexually transmitted diseases. To ensure purity, sexual restraint must be practiced by the soldier. Also, sexual interactions with women must be prevented to curtail the proliferation of disease and immorality. In this context, the military defined women’s honor in terms of her purity and her equation as a motherly figure. Women as motherly figures abstained from sexual activity until marriage and thus prevented the spread of disease. By placing Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½bad’ women into a category of Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½promoters of promiscuity,’ women are those responsible for the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
With honor defined, examining the propaganda used by the military is integral in understanding how women took away men’s honor. In the “You Kept Fit and Defeated the Hun” poster, it displays a young solider with a hearty smile.[1] The soldier in his combat uniform holds a rifle with a bayonet in one hand. Poised upon his shoulders lies a large bald eagle with its wings stretched. The symbol of freedom acts to show the triumph of the Allied victory while he stands upon the helmets of a defeated German Army.[2] The imagery alone sets an important tone for his “boy next door” appearance. All American, benevolent, and innocent looking, this wholesome looking solider was victorious against the German Army. Triumphant as the symbol of male virility, he liberated Europe to “make the world safe for democracy,” as President Wilson’s stated.[3] Also, his virility helped secure the victory since he “kept fit” and did not allow himself to be infected with venereal disease.
This poster encourages soldiers to compare the war in Europe with the war against venereal disease. As the text in the image states, “You kept fit and defeated the Hun[.] Now- set a high standard [,] A CLEAN AMERICA! Stamp out Venereal Diseases”[4] The text effectively draws upon the symbol of the Hun, used as a derogatory term to evoke American hatred against the Germans. Kaiser Wilhelm associated himself with the Huns in an effort to build German national sentiment since the Huns were fierce warriors. Not taking a propagandist perspective as the Kaiser had, the Huns were nomadic warriors from the 4th century and historically well known for their barbarity.[5] After defeating such a devastating and barbarous enemy like the Germans (Huns), the soldiers now must prepare themselves for an even more dangerous enemy. Soldiers next faced a battle against immorality, for their honor in brining a high standard back home, to ensure a clean by Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½stamping out venereal diseases.’
How does the soldier’s high standard relate to defending his honor? This valiant man defended what he loved, his home, mother, and country. Stated in other words, he fought for what he loved, these are the high standards in which the poster speaks of. He accomplished this standard by defeating the Germans. In his victory, the soldier must retain his honor by resisting the temptation of the sexual advances from the women in Europe. Inevitably, women are the source of immorality and perversion of men’s honor. With this female temptress, it can lead men into sexual temptation; therefore men must uphold the ideal of purity or of maintaining his sexual restraint to prevent disease.
During 1910’s and 1920’s, the military perpetuated the assumption that women transmitted and carried diseases. Thus as carriers and transmitters, women caused immorality and took away men’s honor. The military disseminated information through the channels of social protection discourses like the Office of Community War Service, the U.S. Public Health Service, and the American Social Hygiene Association.[6] Through these media sources the label of women as disease persisted. Through the label of whore, the military’s effectiveness in portraying women as diseased worked well in taking away the victimization from women and placing it upon men.
While the wholesome looking solider acts as responsible to battle immoral and lethal invasion from the diseased and sexual delinquent female, his innocent look further adds to make him the victim taking away his responsibility for the spread of disease. The image is further provocative in evoking sentiments of nationalism and the elevated position that soldiers must hold themselves to be as honorable at home as they had acted in the war. The text made clear the position of the military’s next battlefield as the war against venereal disease. Once again it is the duty of this soldier to hold a high standard for him and his fellow countrymen by not allowing to be seduced by females of unworthy Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½honor’ (her sexual delinquency) and thus protecting his honor.[7]
The next poster, “Don’t allow a whore to spoil the reunion,” is another excellent example of a propaganda tool propagated by the war effort places men as partially responsible for the war against sexually transmitted diseases.[8] Men may engage in the sexual activity but women take away their honor through the spread of disease. Men’s moral integrity or honor must be upheld against the women who may take away such virtue. The juxtaposition of male versus female honor is exemplified through examination of the poster. The integrity of men is apparent through three very wholesome (wholesome as upholding family values through their appearance and traditional female dress) looking women, two older women, and a child. Interestingly enough, there is an image of a dignified man who most likely represents the man who held his virtue by not engaging in sexual activity when at war. All present are in one way or another helping to bake that wholesome looking cake that symbolizes the clean . The text states, “The Folks at Home” which is a tool to symbolize the cohesiveness of family morality. The text continues with “…are waiting for you to come back with an honorable record,” thus implying that the solider should return as honorable and innocent as they left their homes. The text ends with “Don’t allow a whore to spoil the reunion.” In other words, a soldier should not allow a woman without honor to tarnish the soldier’s sexual purity (honor).
All of this text combined tries to say three important things. First, emphasizing the image of an innocent (wholesome) family oriented soldier who left his home to keep the world safe for democracy. Second, that he should not allow a “whore” or female to corrupt his honor through sexual relations. And finally, if he allowed himself to be seduced by the female this would tarnish the memory of the war effort which he and his fellow soldiers worked hard to fight.[9] So in effect, military propagandists equate male honor through the war effort directly with female sexual promiscuity.
Further examining the image, the importance of the family awaiting the soldier’s return with an honorable record upholds the ideal of a clean . The image illustrates an unequal value between the soldier and the whore. Because the military does not hold men to the same standard as women in controlling the spread of venereal disease, the military viewed women as controlling the engagement of sexual relations. With women in control over sexual relations women become the central mechanism for the spread of diseases. The implication of the label “whore” who spoils the reunion emphasizes the military’s opinion that women are in control and spread disease. This further illuminates the unequal position between male and female sexuality since men are also obviously responsible for the spread of diseases as it takes two to participate in sex (at least two). The military obscures this obvious fact by replacing women’s sexual desire for sexual relations with the label of “whore” merely because women hold desires. Using this rhetoric, women as whores can transmit disease which in turn takes away men’s honor.
Even though men allow themselves to be responsible for allowing for engaging in sexual relations, they hold themselves irresponsible for the transmission of venereal disease. This double standard in their own favor permits them to engage in sexual activities without accountability for the spread of disease. Such negative attitudes towards female sexuality during the 2nd decade of the 20th century became common. The military did not view this as an issue of a soldier’s responsibility to regulate disease rather an issue for women to control the spread of disease.[10] Women thus viewed by the military as the diseased and seducers of immorality created the Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½double edged sword’. Men, even if acting as sexual aggressors still justified to their sexual actions since women are the vessels or carriers of disease and immorality. This is almost to say that sexual relations (for men) would not be frowned upon if women were not the diseased carriers (while viewed in the context of this poster).
Military opinion in the realm of sexual conduct between soldiers and women deemed otherwise. With the goal of preventing public perception from viewing women as victims to sexually transmitted diseases, the military capitalized on their investment of the Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½pure’ solider. By defining males as victims of women, the military could act to regulate female sexuality and further destroy women’s reputations. Since a woman’s reputation was of enumerable value, the stigmatization of the whore, prostitute or bad girl could destroy a female’s social standing.[11] Yet the image of male masculinity, with men viewed as victims from the sexually deviant female, persisted onto the WWII era as women entered the Service. Women’s sexuality still defined in terms of their male counterparts acted to strengthen men’s position as the victim.
The military’s rationing of condoms during WWII demonstrated the extent to which they denied women of protective measures. On the other hand, the military dispensed condoms freely for the male soldiers. By doing so, the distribution of contraception among soldiers became a way to battle the whore, disease, or bad girl while he could indulge in his masculine desires. The stigmatization for women as carriers and spreaders of disease produces a sense of ironic since they were also denied measures that preventative of disease.
Inevitably, women with no form of contraceptive protection became the aggressors in taking away men’s honor. Also, the military viewed women as the cause for the spread of disease and those who took away men’s honor. Only time would tell in the 1950’s with the movement towards widespread usage of Margaret Sanger’s birth control methods as well as improved public literacy on the subject of contraception and preventive measures for females. Until that time, men played the victims while fighting off the advances of sexual delinquent and diseased females.[12]
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
[1] “You Kept Fit and Defeated the Hun,” Surgeon General of the Army, 1919.
[2] As this was published in 1919, the war had ended and standing upon German helmets symbolized the defeated of .
[3] Clements, Kendrick A. “The Papers of Woodrow Wilson and the Interpretation of the Wilson Era.” The History Teacher 27, no 4 (Aug 1994): 475-489. pg 483
[4] See, “You Kept Fit and Defeated the Hun,”
[5] Dictionary.com [Available- Online] http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=hun
[6] Leisa Meyer, Creating GI Jane, New York and , University Press, 1996. pp, 101, 102.
[7] Ibid, 101
[8] “Don’t allow a whore to spoil the reunion” Card from Exhibit #8, U.S. War Department, 1919.
[9] As the poster suggest, the cohesion of family unity is not immoral and therefore, married women are not whores. This hierarchy distinguishes “good” women from “bad” women and also serves to reinforce the idea of men’s purity that sexual activities is a favorable practice within the bedroom of your spouse.
[10] See Leisa Meyer, Creating GI Jane, p 102.
[11]Elizabeth Clement, The Treat: Transforming Sexual Values at the Turn of the Century, New York, Routledge, 1993. pp 15- 18.
[12] See, Leisa Meyer, Creating GI Jane, p 102.
