Kissed without consent: The not-so romantic story behind that famous photo

The Independent

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00:00You can buy this black and white print at an interior shop

00:03Ready-framed if you fancy

00:04A chic candid

00:06Perfect for a bedroom maybe

00:07Have you seen this picture before?

00:08Yes, I have actually

00:09It's quite a famous one in New York

00:11They look like they haven't seen each other in a while

00:14Like a long time

00:15It says spontaneity and celebration

00:18But did you know that the woman in this picture

00:20Whose name is Greta Friedman

00:22Hated every second of this kiss

00:24Oh f**k

00:25She has since said that she had no idea that this strange man

00:28Whose name is George Mendonca was going to kiss her

00:31Her hand looks a bit tense doesn't it?

00:33I did not see him approaching

00:34And before I know it I was in his vice grip

00:37She told CBS News in 2012

00:39Okay so now I feel really bad for saying all the nice things about it

00:42I felt that he was very strong

00:44He was just holding me tight

00:46It wasn't a romantic event

00:47Oh f**k

00:50That's so sad

00:51Marie, like holding the girl

00:54It's not like natural

00:55But if it did happen to me

00:56I would react in an ugly way

00:58The picture was so iconic I would hate that

01:01I would absolutely hate that

01:02Mendonca, a US Navy soldier

01:04Might have been excited since this kiss happened

01:06On the day that Japan surrendered to the United States in 1945

01:10He has since said that the reason he grabbed someone dressed like a nurse

01:13Was just because he felt very grateful to nurses

01:16But even if he risked his life at war

01:18Putting an unconsenting woman in a headlock

01:20And planting one on her is not really acceptable

01:23It's very very different than what I would allow my daughter to put up with now

01:27They put statues of this kiss around America and Europe

01:31I became a bit disgusted

01:34And so why do we make it prolific?

01:36I wouldn't want a statue of someone basically assaulting me

01:40Although more recently in 2014

01:42A French feminist group did protest to have one taken down

01:45Friedman hasn't been completely negative about the kiss though

01:48She also said it was a wonderful coincidence

01:51A man in a sailor's uniform and a woman in a white dress

01:54And a great photographer at the right time

01:56So who took it?

01:57It was photographed by Alfred Eisenstedt

01:59A distinguished photographer who had worked with a range of people

02:02From Bette Davis to Kennedy

02:04The photograph was published a week later in Life magazine

02:07Among many other photos of V-Day celebrations around the US

02:10Initially the stars of the photo were a mystery

02:13Life did ask them to reveal themselves but no one did for decades

02:16However later on many people started coming forward

02:19And eventually an exhaustive study was carried out in 2012

02:22To conclusively prove both identities

02:24Once discovered Friedman actually kept in touch with Mendonca

02:27They reunited in Times Square for a kiss reenactment in 1980

02:31And stayed talking to each other sharing family updates throughout the years

02:35God this is a roller coaster

02:36If I go back in time and perhaps sit on my mother's shoulders

02:40I think my mum would probably have tolerated it

02:42Although Friedman didn't enjoy the kiss

02:44She does have slightly fonder memories of other aspects of that day

02:48She remembers going back to the office telling them the war was over

02:51And they cancelled all their appointments and went home early

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