While U.S. G.I.s popularized the concept of pin-up girls, they didn’t invent them. The idea of seductive, idealized female imagery dates back long before World War II — think Gibson Girls in the late 1800s and early 1900s. But it was American soldiers during WWII who truly launched the pin-up into cultural superstardom.

During World War II, pin-up girls frequently posed in red, white, and blue outfits as part of U.S. government-backed morale campaigns. One of the most famous examples is Betty Grable’s 1943 pin-up, where she wore a white swimsuit and high heels. That photo became so iconic, over 5 million copies were distributed to American troops—and she was unofficially dubbed the “The Girl with the Million Dollar Legs.”

These “patriotic pin-ups” weren’t just eye candy—they were soft-power weapons, boosting morale and symbolizing what soldiers were supposedly fighting to protect: liberty, glamour, and just enough leg to keep you going.