Glamour-izing Military Service: Army Recruitment for Women in Vietnam-Era Advertisements

Band of Brothers (And Sisters): Gender Framing in U.S. Army Commercial Advertising

“…Military advertising has long targeted both males and females; however, the goals of this advertising has significantly changed pertaining to females, mirroring the changes in societal expectations of women. In the 1960s, popular women's' magazines advertised for the Women's Army Corps and Nurse Corps and featured militarized femininity at its finest, depicting an environment in which young women could explore job opportunities, travel, and build self-esteem, while meeting male suitors (Ghilani, 2017). Print advertisements in this era rested on gender normativity and heteronormativity, but also balanced the rhetoric of second-wave feminism.…”

“…Furthermore, age structure, racial composition, and military-institutional presence were found to be key factors for Army enlistment (2005, Maley). However, advertisements in the 1960s were described as 'white-washed' for both male and females (Ghilani, 2017). Ironically, the demographics for the current enlisted Army are the antithesis.…”