Gee I wish I were a Man, I'd Join the Navy Analysis Essay

In 1917, a twenty-year-old woman by the name of Bernice Smith approached her local naval recruiting office in hopes that she would be accepted as a recruit. After facing the disappointment that she would not be allowed to enlist, she exclaimed, “Gee, I wish I were a man, I’d join the Navy!” (Smith, 1917). Upon hearing this, a famous artist of the time named Howard Chandler Christy was instantly inspired and saw the opportunity as one worthy of a poster for World War I. Christy had Smith model for him that day and focused the poster on her and her message (Clearfem, 2017). The intent behind this poster and Smith’s message was to get more men to enlist in the Navy. Howard Chandler Christy used the gender stereotypes of the early 1900s, appealing to the masculine side of men, and sexualization tactics in this piece of propaganda with the intent that it would bring more men to the naval recruitment office. 

In the early to mid-1900s, the stereotype for men and women went as follows: men were the workers and were the ones expected to enlist in the military and women were expected to stay home and take care of matters while the men were gone. Because of this, the idea that a woman wanted to enlist in the war should be motivate men to want to enlist, and he should be proud to be a part of the Navy. In an article written by the National WWI Museum and Memorial explaining the roles of men and women during the war, it states “at the time of the First World War, most women were barred from voting or serving in military combat roles” (Women in WW1, 2020). Howard Chandler Christy used this gender stereotype to help the men realize that if a woman was willing and even wanting to enlist to fight in the war herself, the men should feel fortunate to have the opportunity to do so. By doing this, having a guilty conscience would have gotten to a lot of these men and it would drive them to the recruiting office where they would enlist and follow through with Christy’s intent with the poster. 

Throughout history and especially in the early 1900s men were expected and thought to be very masculine, and it was a valued attribute. Being a man was relative and synonymous with being a hero. In a poem titled “Peace,” written by Rupert Brooke who contributed to WWI propaganda, he says “Leave the sick hearts that honor could not move and half men” (Brooke, 1914). Brooke intentionally is directing this phrase “half men” to those who did not take part in the war to make them feel like cowards and as though they are not fulfilling their role and stepping up to the plate to be a real man or a true hero. The idea of masculinity was important for the men to feel validated and feel like they were contributing something to their country and in life. Christy is able to make this a point on the poster because he knows that being a man is something that is taken seriously. He puts the statement “be a man and do it” on the bottom of the poster so that people think the way to show that an individual is a true man, is for him to join the Navy. He makes it a point to say that unless a male enlists in the Navy, or any military branch for that matter, he is not a true man and is not courageous, honorable, or heroic. 

Howard Chandler Christy intentionally uses sexualization tactics in this piece of propaganda to give men an incentive for enlisting and joining the Navy. As seen in the figure above, Christy had Bernice Smith dress in a naval uniform and does so intentionally. By the way he has Smith pose and the way he utilized the uniform, it is sexualizing Smith to influence men to think that if they are to join the Navy, they could be desirable to women. Smith’s uniform is low cut in the front and she has a slight smirk in her facial expression. Christy did this in hopes that the men would think she looked desirable, and that in turn, if they enlisted in the Navy, they too would seem desirable. This idea has been demonstrated in many pieces of propaganda and Christy chose to utilize this tactic on his poster as well because if men thought joining the Navy meant that they would be found attractive, brave, or desirable in any way, many would have wanted to jump on that opportunity. 

Propaganda has been a powerful and influential way to motivate and persuade individuals to engage in a cause. Howard Chandler Christy particularly utilized the early 1900s gender stereotypes, an appeal to men’s masculinity, and sexualizing strategies on his propaganda poster to motivate men to enlist in the Navy for WWI. Through tactful posing of Bernice Smith, a portrayal of her message of wanting to join the Navy, and convincing people to “be a man and do it,” Christy is able to effectively use different techniques and persuasion to motivate and influence individuals who may be reading the poster to stop and think to themselves “I’d join the Navy.”

Works Cited 

Howard Chandler Christy. gee!! I wish I were a man. 1917: Moma. The Museum of Modern Art. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2021, from https://www.moma.org/collection/works/8945. 

Inscription on the Liberty Memorial Tower in Downtown Kansas City, M. (2020, January 3). Women in WWI. National WWI Museum and Memorial. Retrieved October 10, 2021, from https://www.theworldwar.org/learn/women#:~:text=Women%20in%20World%20War%20I%201%20On%20the,The%20%E2%80%9CHello%20Girls%E2%80%9D.%20...%205%20Female%20Soldiers.%20. 

Clearfem. (2017, March 15). Gee!! I wish I were a man, I'd join the Navy. US Propaganda and the Arts of WWI 100th Anniversary Online Exhibition. Retrieved October 10, 2021, from https://sites.miamioh.edu/wwiposters/2017/03/gee-i-wish-i-were-a-man-id-join-the-navy/. 

Brooke, Rupert. “Peace by Rupert Brooke.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/13074/peace.