tonystarking:

The urgency of the war, along with changing conceptions of women’s roles in society, meant that the U.S. military enlisted the help of thousands of women. In fact, about 350,000 women served in the armed forces […] When women shipped off, they took cosmetics with them into battle. Lipstick was one of the ways these women defined themselves; to them it signaled femininity and strength. (full quote at sarriane)