Perhaps some of the most recognizable images to adorn aircraft during the 1940's were the racy, sensual and titillating pictures of pin-up girls. They are both controversial and beautiful. Pin-up nose art, particularly from the WWII era, features glamour girls inspired by films, magazine artwork, and song. During WWI, scantily clad women painted on the noses of planes were generally non-existent. However, by the mid 1940's, it was certainly not uncommon to find Betty Grable and her dream girl legs leading a crew into flight. During the war, some images of women were so risqué that upon the crew's return home a red bikini might suddenly appear on the once nude lady of the plane, demonstrating that the aviators understood their own exploitations of the woman's body.

Ever since WWII, the pin-up girl has remained the most popular subject for aircraft art. Pornographic undertones in the images continue to evolve, ranging from the buxom starlit of the 1940's to sultry, hell-raising angels in the 1990's. These masculine representations are indeed further demonstrations of the objectification of women and strategically feature the "ideal" body for the satisfaction of the male voyeur. Not only do we have the representations in the artwork, loaded captions or "graffiti" accompany the images and amplify the sexual connotations. For example, "Target for Tonight", "Sack Time" and "Angel Fighter" all include obvious double entendre to reveal sexual and militaristic targets are one in the same for the romantic eyes of the crew! The nose art is intended to cleverly suggest that the crew use their aggression and virulence against a military target with same excitement as they would in a sexual encounter.

If these images are inspirational during combat and "partially disappear" upon return to the home front, then it might be argued that war breeds a unique environment of bestiality and aggression. War traverses reality and places servicemen in a sea of emotional and situational chaos. It has been suggested that the stylized women, despite their implicit messages of sexuality offer a comfort from home to servicemen, that is to say, that the female representations objectify what home and love include. Often aircraft were named after a pilot's or captain's sweetheart from home. For example, the infamous "Memphis Belle" was originally named "Little One" an "endearing" nickname of the pilot's fiancée. However, after viewing the film, Lady for a Night, starring John Wayne and Joan Blondell, the crew gained affection for Blondell, the character and the character's name, "Memphis Belle". Once the plane was given the moniker, the appropriate image was needed. As so many of the WWII images, the "Memphis Belle's" image was retrieved from the artwork in Esquire magazine. Artists and aircrews alike were inspired by the some of Esquire's most famed poster (pin-up) artists such as George Petty, Gillette Elvgren, and certainly Alberto Vargas (see the additional links below). Their work was widely recognized as it appeared in advertisements, magazine publications and calendars .

Men are virtually absent from the nose art of aircraft. Typically women, aggressive animals like sharks or tigers, cartoons, or inspiring graffiti mark the plane's body. The categories of images evidently evoke aggression, sentimentality for home and beauty, affection for the craft and mission, and even some levity. The feminine notion of the plane might be considered akin to the image of justice. Some radicals may want to condemn the nude artwork as only pornographic or demeaning, but that limited perspective would deny the representations any room as subjects of art or beauty, as many are, and also deny the sexual empowerment allotted to women through the image. Finally, it is imperative to note how the increased participation of women in armed services will ultimately modify the representations shown here. Will sleek blondes or battle ready angels flexing the muscles continue to signify the attitudes of a crew? The women's involvement is a decisive factor in the treatment and representation of women by male colleagues and the social environment.