Greta’s words do not indicate conclusively that she felt violated — only surprised. Also, we should take into consideration the “sensus communis” of the time. This exuberant soldier could have legitimately believed most any woman would be happy to share his euphoria on that day – even flattered that she had been singled out. There’s no doubt some degree of sexuality came into play – he probably wouldn’t have grabbed a man to kiss – but considering the 1945 official rules and regulations of flirting, his unconventional and spontaneous kiss was still within acceptable bounds for the day. And, there’s no need to strip the above image of sexuality, either, unless the soldier’s intent to degrade his “victim” can be ascertained. It can’t, so it’s a stretch to qualify this as an assault. We can safely assume he only meant to spread cheer during an otherwise difficult time. There are many periods of time in history and many images in popular culture that are a testament to the subordination of women, but the WWII years, and this photo, are not convincing examples.