Oh my goodness! I am SO EXCITED to be participating in Nerd Nite DC tomorrow!
I’ll be reflecting on an age-old question: “If her loose lips sink ships, what can her other parts do?” Or: policing women’s talk in wartime.
Here’s a summary:
During World War II, the “loose lips” blamed for “sinking ships” frequently belonged to women, and posters reminded amorous GIs not to share sensitive information in an attempt to impress the ladies. Today, OPSEC (Operational Security) materials for military families warn wives to scrub their social media and keep their husbands’ deployments secret. While men telling women to be quiet is hardly novel, in these cases, talkative women are portrayed as not just irritating but lethally dangerous. These chatterboxes will be our guides through a history of the U.S. military’s approach to the problems of its men liking women, and those women liking to have contact with the outside world.
