I agree with you, and that's why I like aircraft nose art. As a straight member of the female persuasion, I couldn't care less about the subjects of the nose art; it's the style and execution, and the humor behind it, that I appreciate (in the artistic sense -- and you're right about the Vargas girls, too). I read several Facebook pages that are maintained by various military members, and often they post pictures of scantily clad women. It's their thing. So what? I just scroll over them and read what interests me.
The WWII nose art was outstanding in the imaginative ways the characters, not just women, were displayed. It boosted morale at the time to see Disney art like Porky Pig, Bugs Bunny, and other characters depicted in war mode.
Nose art of scantily dressed women, photos of Betty Grable, etc. also reminded our service men of the loved ones they left behind or the girl of their dreams they hoped to find after the war. It was mixture of war and romance. It was not intended to be disrespectful to women.
After the war, pin-up photos and calendars appeared in the workplaces that were dominated by males. I guess it was a tradition carried over from the war. With the integration of women into the workforce, the pin-ups came down.
But as a kid I remember seeing pin-ups openly displayed in garages, barbershops, and factory offices and on hotrod, motorcycle, and other male oriented magazine covers (except Popular Mechanics). Never bothered me (or any other kid I knew). I was also taught to respect women by my parents at an early age.
When Playboy and other similar magazines first appeared they were pin-up type magazines but soon transcended into porn through the years. And as most men my age know, mama didn’t allow no pin-ups or Playboy magazines in the house.
So, we had to go to the barbershop for the latest issues.
Norman Rockwell should have painted a picture of a 12 year-old kid waiting his turn in a barbershop while holding a Popular Mechanics magazine wrapped around a Playboy while trying to get the center fold opened without attracting attention.