War Poster- 1940s
This is a war poster by the Office for Emergency Management, Office of War Information, Domestic Operations Branch, and the Bureau of Special Services from World War II. The poster depicts several photos of women working in munitions factories and calls to women to continue to join the war effort while men are away at war. It states that an additional four million women will be necessary before 1943 to continue the work. The women are pictured wearing collared shirts and turbans, which they needed to wear in factories. This source shows the prevalence of women working in factories and explains how it became acceptable for them to wear what was previously thought as menswear.
WAVES Uniform- 1940s
This source is a WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency) uniform. The uniform is a corduroy skirt and jacket. The skirt falls just below the knee, and the jacket is semi-fitted to the wearer a framed waist. WAVES was a branch of the US Navy that was trained to do secretarial and clerical functions. (Summers 2016, 43) This uniform had effects on fashion; as more and more women were seen in uniform it began to be reflected in the popular style. These uniforms paved the way for women to wear even shorter skirts, which allowed for greater ease of movement. This uniform also reflects the fabric rationing of the time, as frills and ruffles disappeared in an effort to preserve fabric.