Posted on 06/06/2007 9:25:15 AM PDT by DogByte6RER
Lucy pin-ups banned by RAF
ROYAL Air Force chiefs have risked a bust-up with their pilots by forcing them to black out pictures of pin-ups painted on their planes - including Hampshire glamour girl Lucy Pinder.
In the 1940s it was common to see the likes of Rita Hayworth and Jane Russell adorning the fronts of Lancaster bombers and flying fortresses setting off en route to their German targets.
Countless more pictures of anonymous girls were splashed across aircraft, in poses almost as risque as their crews' missions were risky.
Sixty years on, when British airmen fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan decided to bring the practice into the 21st century, one of their first choices was Lucy, from Winchester.
But their plans were shot down before even getting off the ground - by politically correct bosses worried about offending female crew members and Muslim locals.
Senior commanders got hot under the collar when they heard about the paintings, and immediately ordered that any drawings on Harrier jets be blacked-out to silhouettes only.
RAF Strike Command feared that having too much flesh on display ran the risk of putting off female recruits, who could view the images as sexist.
And in a country where many women wear full burkhas, there was also the worry that pictures offending local culture could spark a diplomatic incident.
Concerned that even the outlines were too provocative, they have now ordered the images be removed completely.
Saints fan Lucy is disappointed the troops weren't allowed to have their fun. Last November she visited Afghanistan with pal Michelle Marsh as part of a morale-boosting tour, and even signed one of the planes carrying her picture.
She was shocked to hear of the enforced cover-up, saying she thought the pictures were "harmless fun".
"It's very flattering, and it's nice that they get to do something that takes their minds off things for a while," the 23-year-old told the Daily Echo.
"It's a shame they've got to change them to silhouettes. Rules are rules, but I don't think it's offensive.
"It's just the way it goes these days. They're doing a very hard job out there and we should all appreciate it.
"It's a very serious situation out there and it's a bit of frivolity, but it's just the lads having a bit of fun and light relief.
"Anything that can cheer them up for a bit must be nice."
Last night RAF bosses defended the ban as entirely appropriate, saying in a statement: "The Royal Air Force values and recognises the contribution of service personnel regardless of gender, race, religion, sexual orientation or social background.
"To this end, the RAF promotes working in an environment that is free from harassment and where personnel are respected both for the contribution they can bring to the team and the value and potential they offer as individuals."
9:00am Tuesday 5th June 2007
By Jon Reeve
The U.S. has similar restrictions on nose art.
http://parentseyes.arizona.edu/militarynoseart/gulf3.htm
'During the Gulf War, sexually provocative art was removed before an aircraft was deployed to Saudi Arabia to avoid offending inhabitants of the area. Bikinis were painted over to became long black dresses. After the war, artists restored the images to their original state upon the request of the crews and pilots (Walker, More, p. 34).
After the Gulf War and after the wave of negative public opinion, the military ruled against portraying women on aircraft. Nose art was removed from all 319th Wing and 384th aircraft in 1992. On the "Queen of Hearts," the name remains without an image.
Painting an image requires a more formal procedure today than fifty years ago. The crew submits its idea to the crew chief, who presents the design to the wing commander for approval (Ethell, p. 173). Crews still derive a sense of pride and identification with an aircraft through its name and art. Given its past history, nose art, sanctioned or not, is bound to recur in one shape or another in the future.'
ping for later
Whose culture is it? The head-choppers’? The man-haters’?
Counting down before that one goes bye-bye lol
The U.S. has similar restrictions on nose art.Saved by a 'scarcely'!
Adultery is cheating on ones spouse. I don't think G*d intended for the single men to ignore single women. Otherwise they wouldn't end up married and propagating the species.
And He very much wanted us to go forth and multiply.
Yowza :-)
NO. Load every everlovin’ aircraft that is capable of carrying a payload with containers filled with dead pigs. Have them fly en masse over every Islamic nation and drop.
Send them to hell.
Hell yeah!
Are you saying God wants unmarried men to ogle and focus upon numerous women, to get sexually stimulated?
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