Even before the first boot camp class, military brass in the Navy and Coast Guard were discussing the uniform the women would eventually wear. There were high expectations; it was commonly known, as many of the women comment, that the Navy’s man uniform was the “smartest” in the service. The uniform would, after all, become the public face of the WAVES and SPARs, communicating both the image and the identity of the female volunteers. It would also become the focal point of the Navy’s public relations campaigns, seen in posters, photographs and film. As a result, before analyzing those campaigns, it is first necessary to understand the powerful image presented by the uniform, and what the uniform meant to volunteers.
this exhibit is presented in memorium of Violet Wierzbicki