Australia during the Second World War is usually pictured as austere, a time of rations and perseverance. Women from this time are often portrayed as domesticated or working for the war effort. Sexuality was dangerous and mentioned only in reference to the allure of the visiting American soldiers. Fashion was negated for the khaki greens and grays of uniforms.

In the dark of war, the pinup girls were pictures of hope, of a better time, of people’s longing for fun. For the women their brief stardom was for some exciting, an adventure and liberating, while for others it was a secret to be hidden from family and community.

Some of the women received hundreds of letters from servicemen stationed in far-flung places abroad admiring “their” girls and telling of their loneliness, fear and desire to return home. As the war progressed, these pin-up images and the women who posed for them were co-opted into the war effort. The line blurred between pretty pictures and propaganda.

This film is not only about the culture of pinups and their collectors but also a study of the social standards and mores of a country faced with the realities of a threatened invasion by enemy forces.

Special Features:

• Violet's Story
• War comes to Australia