While most people claim that the true Sexual Revolution occurred in the 1960s-1970s, there is evidence that the roots can trace as far back as the 1940s. The 1940s and 1950s was the time of the “Silent Generation” and was characterized by WWII, which changed the way that the people of the time viewed sex and sexuality. As people were going to war, they were returning with new and different views of sexuality which created ideas that caused the Sexual Revolution to develop fully in the 1960s. This start of a slight shift in ideals and ideas regarding sex and sexuality caused an image like this one to be considered less taboo than it would have been a few years earlier.

Some other early players in the beginning of the Silent Sexual Revolution include Paul Cadmus who was a famous painter known for paintings such as the controversial The Fleet’s In!. Cadmus helped to jumpstart these changes of discussions about sexuality by including symbols that were common in the queer community at the time such as wearing a red tie. This was often used as a symbol for gay men to signal to other gay men that they are available.

Glaser, Gabrielle. “The Sexual Double Standards That Led to the Baby Boom—and “Girls in Trouble.”” Literary Hub, 27 Jan. 2021, lithub.com/the-sexual-double-standards-that-led-to-the-baby-boom-and-girls-in-trouble/. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Martin, Bryan. “Paul Cadmus and the Censorship of Queer Art”. The Met, 25 June 2021, https://www.metmuseum.org/perspectives/articles/2021/6/paul-cadmus-the-fleets-in. Accessed 1 Apr. 2024.