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all 115 comments

[–]parafrog 49 points50 points ago

You should cross post this to /r/historyporn

I think it's time I start rocking hair scarfs.

[–]superpony123 10 points11 points ago

I love hair scarfs but I can't figure out how to pull it off!! It's such a bummer. It should be easy because I have super short hair :(

[–]inappropriatemother 16 points17 points ago

Bobby Pins. I have super short hair, too. I love wearing scarves in my hair. But, it wasn't until I discovered that bobby pins are seriously the answer to everything that I was able to wear scarves in my hair.

[–]superpony123 1 point2 points ago

genius!

[–]AmorphisUniversm 5 points6 points ago

Google different styles. I have super short hair too, and you can make them work! I am wearing one right now.

[–]parafrog 4 points5 points ago

Check out Youtube for tutorials?

[–]superpony123 0 points1 point ago

great idea!

[–]moparornocar 5 points6 points ago

[–]bullseyes 1 point2 points ago

here's another vintage photos subreddit, one of my favs,

/r/OldSchoolCool

[–]Phantoom 28 points29 points ago

DEM PLEATS.

[–]BillBrasky_ 22 points23 points ago

I love this picture.

Here is a story about the female pilots of WWII. They didn't fly combat, but they delivered every type of plane imaginable from the factories in America to troops that used them! This includes flying at low altitudes in bad weather over the north atlantic and crossing the jungles of SE Asia. Truly adventurous!

(I realize this woman is not a pilot, but it leads me to favorite topic... flying)

[–]oodontheloo 10 points11 points ago

I work in the library at Texas Woman's University in Denton, TX and we have a HUGE collection of WASP and Whirly Girls materials and ephemera!

WASP Collection @ T-dub

[–]quandomenvo 0 points1 point ago

Upvotes for Denton!

[–]waitingforbatman 0 points1 point ago

Have you read West With the Night by Beryl Markham? If you haven't, do. It's one of the most incredible books I've ever read, but don't just take my recommendation, take Ernest Hemingway's.

[–]BillBrasky_ 0 points1 point ago

bought, thanks!

[–]dalsgaard 27 points28 points ago

I'm completely enchanted by that picture. Where did you find it?

[–]unemployedhistorymjr 9 points10 points ago

The Library of Congress has a great collection of these types of images on their Flickr photostream.

[–]Victoria_Place 51 points52 points ago

What a fantastic photo. Also, oddly looks like Kristen Stewart.

[–]jamesneysmith 34 points35 points ago

Funny, I see Alicia Silverstone too.

[–]goomonkey 25 points26 points ago

It's Kristicia Silverwart

[–]syringa 9 points10 points ago

That's it, changing my last name to Silverwart.

Edit: Or Stewstone, because it reminds me of my favorite childhood book!

[–]Jezzikuh 9 points10 points ago

I will never understand why stone soup seemed so delicious.

[–]Jezzikuh 14 points15 points ago

You heard it here first, everyone.

Kristen Stewart is a time traveler.

[–]Roguerage 1 point2 points ago

And I now like this less. Bummer.

[–]manlydishwasher 5 points6 points ago

I see Brittany Murphy morphed into Cindy Lauper. I have no idea how you see KS in her.

[–]Victoria_Place 2 points3 points ago

See, I see Alicia Silverstone before Brittany Murphy or Lauper. I see Stewart with the lips and the eyes.

[–]hornofhuman 0 points1 point ago

Still a better love story than Twilight? Or should that meme die?

[–]me_no_no 0 points1 point ago

I see Kristen Stewart plus Jena Malone.

[–]bialia 10 points11 points ago

Now this is the kind of image I will gladly update on Fridays. :)

*edit. Upvote. WTF brain.

[–]RivetheadGirl 9 points10 points ago

That's an interesting picture. I have to ask my grandmother if she ever did anything like that. She worked for Lockeed Martin her entire life up until retirement.

[–]tameimpalea 7 points8 points ago

Wearing lipstick and foundation on a sunny day while working on a complex machine and still being able to put complete concentration in it? That woman has mad dedication and class.

[–]RichieSM 2 points3 points ago

The colour was added after. This photo is B&W.

[–]tameimpalea 10 points11 points ago

Still, this had to be a promotional photo or something of the like. You don't look like that while working with a wrench.

[–]RichieSM 2 points3 points ago

You're probably right. On the other hand, maybe she doesn't wipe her oily hands on her trousers/pants like men do. :P

[–]welk101 7 points8 points ago

That would really make your arms ache screwing stuff on with your arms above your head. She should be on a step ladder or something.

[–]zak_on_reddit 19 points20 points ago

why is she screwing in a rivot?

[–]blisk 5 points6 points ago

She also seems awfully clean and made up doesn't she?

Staged photo? Could be.

[–]helen_of_oy 0 points1 point ago

Staged photo?

Yep.

[–]athennna 2 points3 points ago

It's a file.

[–]laser_marquise 4 points5 points ago

Awesome. Loves me a woman breaking the gender boundaries!

[–]lily1346 5 points6 points ago

Such a cool picture! I love the coloring.

[–]darkon 1 point2 points ago

Looks like slightly faded color slide film to me -- but I agree, it does look nice.

[–]GeorgeKelbyJr 23 points24 points ago

Hmmmm ... she has a screwdriver. What's wrong with this picture?

disclaimer: I am not an expert on P-38s. However, unless the panel she's fiddling with is an access panel, and I doubt that it is because access panels are usually secured with many fewer fasteners, the fasteners on assembly panels are rivets, not screws.

Mething this was a posed photo op.

[–]BenOfTomorrow 16 points17 points ago

She's also immaculately coiffed and made-up, not dirty or sweating.

[–]superpony123 14 points15 points ago

don't forget that this photograph is originally in black and white, the picture OP posted is a colored-up version. So the make-up and dirtiness is at the discretion of whoever colored the photo.

[–]ThePlasmid 2 points3 points ago

It's the quality of her nails that have me skeptical.

[–]rancemo 29 points30 points ago

Look closer. That looks like a file. The panel to the right doesn't yet have rivet holes. The panel she's working on has holes, but no rivets. She's likely cleaning up the holes in preparation for riveting. I've never done riveting work on aircraft, but I have on semi trailers, so I could be wrong.

[–]Mule2go 13 points14 points ago

Helping husband build a plane in our garage. You're spot on. The holes have to be clean so the metal doesn't tear when the rivet is put in. The metal has to be flexible to compensate for changes in air pressure. Any little tear could turn into a giant gaping hole in no time.

[–]eunoia666 -4 points-3 points ago

Are redditors actually arguing that this model was photographed candidly doing some sort of useful labour on an airplane?

[–]eunoia666 1 point2 points ago

"Among the calamities of war may be jointly numbered the diminution of the love of truth, by the falsehoods which interest dictates and credulity encourages." - Samuel Johnson (1758)

[–]johnbentley 0 points1 point ago

What makes you doubt the photograph accurately represents what this woman appears to be doing?

[–]e9G7ymWec4svnd6Cq9A9 2 points3 points ago

I guess you could call her Rosie the Riveter.

[–]RichieSM 0 points1 point ago

+1. It looks like a file to me too.

[–]helen_of_oy 7 points8 points ago

I have seen these images in a post on reddit some time ago but I can't find it. Someone commented with information about the images all having been posed with the women wearing costumes and using props to make it look "glamorous" with the purpose of recruiting more workers. I really wish I could locate that information but even my google searches proved futile.

[–]rebelxwaltz 2 points3 points ago

I definitely don't about anything about P-38's, I have no idea if a screwdriver would be appropriate in this situation but assuming it was, the first thing I said when I saw this was who the hell holds a screwdriver like that? It looks so awkward, like she's posing that way to show he pretty face. She definitely could just be a pretty girl who works for the airforce that they want to show off, but I don't think this is a candid shot

[–]Pyroknoppix 3 points4 points ago

It's a file.

[–]rebelxwaltz 0 points1 point ago

it could be a toothbrush, whatever tool she's using, it still looks like an awkward position aimed more at showing the subject's face than function, but maybe i'm the only person who likes to actually be facing whatever i'm working on

[–]Pyroknoppix 3 points4 points ago

I'm an aviation electrician and work with sheet metal guys ALOT. I have also done some riveting when I had some down time at work. Sheet metal must be free of abrasions because as Mule2go said to prevent tearing. Also so that vibration from the aircraft doesn't scratch through the Alodine coating (corrosion preventive compound) and cause corrosion.

[–]helen_of_oy 1 point2 points ago

Found this Wikipedia entry on the US Office of War Information containing the Kodachrome images.

The United States Office of War Information (OWI) was a U.S. government agency created during World War II to consolidate government information services. It operated from June 1942 until September 1945. It coordinated the release of war news for domestic use, and, using posters and radio broadcasts, worked to promote patriotism, warned about foreign spies and attempted to recruit women into war work. The office also established an overseas branch which launched a large scale information and propaganda campaign abroad.

*More information.

[–]technicaldifficulty 1 point2 points ago

Her nails seem far too nice for this to be a candid shot. I refuse to believe you can spend a full day screwing/riveting and maintain those nails.

Pretty certainly a model posing.

[–]InBloom91 19 points20 points ago

Super badass. So sad that the majority of these women lost their jobs to returning soldiers after the war.

[–]atget 28 points29 points ago

But it helped get people more used to the idea of women in the workplace, so it still was important to the overall advancement of women and women's rights.

[–]wifeofcookiemonster 4 points5 points ago

wow it looks like an editorial photoshoot for a fashion magazine

[–]Jay_Suf 2 points3 points ago

Riveting!

[–]Headphone_Actress 4 points5 points ago

  1. This looks like a painting, in a good way.

  2. TIME FOR HAIR SCARVES TO COME BACK.

[–]suelinaa 4 points5 points ago

My grandpa worked for Lockheed back in the day and would show me pictures of the aircraft he worked on. I'm saving your picture to show him the next time I see him!

[–]Queenlizo 3 points4 points ago

My grandma, who would be 106 if she were still alive, worked at an aircraft factory in OKC during WW2. She wired the cockpit panels of bombers. She was a real life Rosie the Riveter! She always loved working in that factory, and really encouraged both of her daughters and all of her granddaughters to work hard and go to school.

My mom was born in 1939 and went to government daycare and preschool while Bubba worked in the factory. Damn. We should have government daycare now to help women!

[–]danyerah 5 points6 points ago

I saw more of an Alicia Silverstone!

[–]halbowitz 3 points4 points ago

Might want to post this to r/oldschoolcool

[–]Tericakes 0 points1 point ago

This, to me, embodies what IFF should be.

Thank you!

[–]serenityveritas 3 points4 points ago

What does IFF mean in this context? I know it as "if and only if" and that doesn't seem to fit. Googling it didn't really help either (unless it is the I'm Fucked Foundation lol!).

[–]Tericakes 1 point2 points ago

Image Fest Friday, its a thing 2xc does every Friday.

[–]serenityveritas 1 point2 points ago

Oooh! No wonder it didn't come up anywhere else. Thanks!

[–]ukp42 2 points3 points ago

Why is she screwing rivets?

[–]ChristianGeek 2 points3 points ago

A female model pretends to work on a P-38 with lighting (1944)

FTFY

[–]coolplate 3 points4 points ago

Simply riveting...

[–][deleted] ago

[deleted]

[–]Pompous_Monkey -2 points-1 points ago

they used screws back then. they screwed every body by hand.

[–]denby10562 0 points1 point ago

Whoa. Didn't know that. (and I thought I was being so smart)

[–]ThatPurpleDrank 2 points3 points ago

Alicia Silverstone?

[–]superpony123 2 points3 points ago

Wow, amazing job with the coloring, whoever did it! Also just a generally awesome and inspiring photo. Thanks for sharing :)

[–]Elshar 0 points1 point ago

Nice picture. Also, the P-38 is one of my favorite aircraft of all time. I seriously love that thing.

[–]tomoyopop 0 points1 point ago

Man... How the heck do you do that hair?

[–]majeric 1 point2 points ago

I want this to be a video game. Something about this being a part of the narrative in some way. That would be awesome.

[–]NoLongerNeeded 1 point2 points ago

Does anyone know where I can see the original BW?

[–]Pompous_Monkey 0 points1 point ago

girls know how to screw like the boys!

[–]goodgodamighty 0 points1 point ago

I'm seeing a young meg ryan instead of the others listed.
Great photo in any case.

[–]hermione1fan 1 point2 points ago

Does anyone else see the resemblance to Kristen Stewart?!

[–]fapfapbottlecap 1 point2 points ago

I want this as a poster in my room. So cool.

[–]zutsori 0 points1 point ago

I would love to get a single pouch toolbag like that.

[–]_Snow_ 1 point2 points ago

She looks like Alicia Silverstone.

[–]morecoverage 0 points1 point ago

I didn't read through the comments first cuz I'm lit, but I think she looks a bit like Meg Ryan

[–]bloodofmy_blood 0 points1 point ago

I need these pants...

[–]jon_titor 0 points1 point ago

There is actually a liquor store in my town dedicated to the Women Airforce Service Pilots of WWII. I thought that was pretty cool.

[–]spinningmagnets 0 points1 point ago

Several years ago, I was fortunate enough to befriend an older neighbor who had been a fighter pilot in WWII. His wife had flown the P-39's from the factory to Alaska where they were turned over to Russian women to fly to the eastern front.

One of the first questions I aked was "what did you fly"? He had piloted the P-51 and the P-38. He said he liked the P-38 much better. He said the front view was better than the long nose of the P-51, and the twin engines got him home on a couple occasions when one engine had been shot out.

He also liked the guns. 20mm cannon and of course some .50-cals...

[–]Rocket202328 0 points1 point ago

It's Alicia Silverstone!

[–]vapidave 0 points1 point ago

Lockheed designed the P-38 in response to a February 1937 specification from the United States Army Air Corps. Circular Proposal X-608 was a set of aircraft performance goals authored by First Lieutenant Benjamin S. Kelsey (later Brigadier General) and First Lieutenant Gordon P. Saville (later General) for a twin-engine, high-altitude "interceptor" having "the tactical mission of interception and attack of hostile aircraft at high altitude."

The P-38's service record shows mixed results, but usually because of misinformation. P-38s have been described as being harder to fly than single-engined aircraft, but this was because of inadequate training in the first few months of the war. The P-38's engine troubles at high altitudes only occurred with the Eighth Air Force. One reason for this was the inadequate cooling systems of the G and H models; the improved P-38 J and L had tremendous success flying out of Italy into Germany at all altitudes.[51] Up until the -J-25 variant, P-38s were easily avoided by German fighters because of the lack of dive flaps to counter compressibility in dives. German fighter pilots not wishing to fight would perform the first half of a Split S and continue into steep dives because they knew the Lightnings would be reluctant to follow."

Not my favorite plane from WWII though as a kid I thought the design looked "cool". I'm not sure how Saville was promoted during this time though he did eventually assist in the design of the F86-Sabre which was somewhat revolutionary when it was introduced during the Korean war.

Kelsey likely deserved his promotion though. He "... was the driving force behind a program of advanced airfoil research which eventually resulted in the P-51 Mustang which ... was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and several other conflicts. During World War II, Mustang pilots claimed 4,950 enemy aircraft shot down, second only to the carrier borne Grumman F6F Hellcat among Allied aircraft."

I'm not sure about Kristen Stewart or Alicia Silverstone or any other actor but the person in the photograph does looks remarkably like my Grandmother, Mary O. Olsen.

[–]manuelmoeg -1 points0 points ago

May I utter a gentlemanly "hubba hubba"? A fair creature with a toolbelt is a wonderful thing.

[–]LochYnezMonster -4 points-3 points ago

Yeah, seriously, can we talk about how hot this is?

SO hot.

[–]wolfbuzz 0 points1 point ago

Has this been colorized at all? Freaking awesome...

[–]Crystalline_Green -2 points-1 points ago

Kristen Stewart?