This is one of several posters designed by Frederick Reeves as part of the “Be Like Dad, Keep Mum” subsection of the larger “Careless Talk Costs Lives” campaign. It plays upon traditional gender roles in Britain (“mum” is the British equivalent of the American “mom”) and references an idealized domestic life that had been left behind by many soldiers. While the series was effective, the misogynistic catchphrase was met with some pushback from the public and was even debated in the Houses of Parliament. On May 7, 1941, Labour MP Dr. Edith Summerskill asked the Minister for Information “whether he is aware that the poster ‘Be Like Dad, Keep Mum’ is offensive to women, and is a source of irritation to housewives, whose work in the home if paid for at current rates would make a substantial addition to the family income; and whether he will have this poster withdrawn from the hoardings?” The phrase “Keep Mum” had a dual meaning, implying that women were both prone to gossip and therefore needed to keep quiet, as well as “kept” by their husbands as unpaid “support staff.” In reality, in many wartime British households women became the primary breadwinners and parents while their husbands fought abroad.