The Kissing Sailor is an iconic image.  Taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt for LIFE Magazine on V-J Day in 1945, the image symbolizes the American victory in WWII.  For others, it stands as a testament to the spontaneity of romance.  Among the different interpretations it can be agreed upon that this is a proud, American symbol.  However, when looked at closely could this image stand for something much more sinister? Through the dress and body language of the two people engaged in the act and the attitude of the onlookers it can be suggested that the image promotes a controversial topic in today's society, rape and its acceptance in society.  Alfred Eisenstaedt's The Kissing Sailor depicts a society that promotes rape culture.

One of the most simplistic aspects of the photograph that can be looked at is the dress of the two people engaged in the kiss.  Both are wearing their respective uniforms, a sailor and a nurse.  The white nurse's uniform stands out against the darkness of the sailor uniform.  This dark to light contrast illustrates a timeless battle between good and evil.  In the photograph, the lightly-clad woman is being grabbed by the darkly-clad man.  The innocent victim is being grabbed by the villain.  Time and time again this dark to light contrast has represented a battle between good and evil and this photograph is no exception.  The man in the dark sailor suit is evil, he is a rapist.  The woman in white is the innocent bystander that is taken advantage of by the dark sailor.  The dress of the man and women contribute to the idea that this is not a photograph of spontaneous romance but a photograph of rape.

Not only has the clothing of the couple, but also the body language of the pair suggested rape.  At first glance, the couple may appear to be locked in a passionate embrace but by looking at the man and woman's posture, it becomes clear that this is a dominant embrace enacted by the man.  The man's hands can be looked at as evidence of rape.  For example, his top hand is wrapped around the woman's head not in the gentle caressing way that one would expect of a lover, but in a dominant and controlling way that leaves the woman with little ability to move her head.  The man's lower hand is also grasping her in what looks to be a rough way.  This hand placement and the way he is leaning over her suggest that the man and woman are not locked in some sort of spontaneous, passionate embrace, but that the man has grabbed the woman and given her no choice in the matter.  The woman's body language supports this claim.  Her arm is laying limp at her side, something that is not characteristic of two people that want to be touching each other.  Her body is bent backwards and away from the man, suggesting that she does not want to be locked in the position so close to him, but she is being held immobile and is helpless to defend herself from the sudden attack.  The overall body language of both the man and the woman work together to suggest that the man is engaging in nonconsensual behavior with the woman.

It has been established that the image of the couple can be assumed to be an image of rape.  This has been suggested by the dress and body language of the two.  However, it is the people in the background of the photograph that suggest that such activities as rape are acceptable in the culture.  Starting at the left of the photograph, the sailor dressed in white is looking at the embracing couple with a smile on his face. Now he may be smiling because the war has ended, but no matter how happy one may be, the image of rape should cause you to falter your smile slightly.  He is a joyous onlooker.  Moving to the right of the picture we can only clearly see one more face, this is the face of an older woman who is looking at the couple, watching the couple, with a smile on her face.  Again, you would think that watching a man come up and force a woman to kiss him would inspire horror, not a look of joy.  It is also rumored that one of the woman whose face is blocked by the man's body is actually the fiance of the sailor who is kissing another woman.  There is obviously no one making a move to interrupt the embrace, so it is safe to assume that she is okay with this.  She is okay with watching her fiance forcibly kiss another woman. Everyone in the background of this photograph seems to be accepting of the sailor's dominant actions.  This is indicative of rape culture, or a culture that defines rape as a social norm.

Through the dress of the couple and the body language of the two, it has been suggested that this is an image depicting rape.  The joyous onlookers suggest that this is an acceptable act. This image depicts a culture that is accepting of rape. The man is forcibly kissing the woman, giving her no choice in the matter. And it can be seen in the faces of the observers that they are accepting and even enjoying the act of rape. All of these aspects come together to suggest that Alfred Eisenstaedt's The Kissing Sailor is an iconic photo that depicts and validates rape culture.
