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Concept
V sign
Summary
The V sign is a hand gesture in which the index and middle fingers are raised and parted to make a V shape while the other fingers are clenched. It has various meanings, depending on the circumstances and how it is presented.
When displayed with the palm inward toward the signer, it can be an offensive gesture in some Commonwealth nations (similar to showing the middle finger), dating back to at least 1900. When given with the palm outward, it is to be read as a victory sign ("V for Victory"); this usage was introduced in January 1941 as part of a campaign by the Allies of World War II, and made more widely known by Winston Churchill. During the Vietnam War, in the 1960s, the "V sign" with palm outward was widely adopted by the counterculture as a symbol of peace and still today in the United States it is commonly called the "peace sign". Shortly thereafter, it also became a gesture associated with fun used in photographs, especially in East Asia, where the gesture is also associated with cuteness.
The meaning of the V sign is partially dependent on the manner in which the hand is positioned:
If the palm of the hand is facing inward toward the signer (i.e. the back of the hand faces the observer), the sign can mean:
An insulting gesture in Australia, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.
The number '2' in American Sign Language.
With the palm outward toward the observer, it can mean:
The number '2'. (See Finger-counting.)
Victory – in a setting of wartime or competition. It was first popularised in January 1941 by Victor de Laveleye, a Belgian politician in exile, who suggested it as a symbol of unity in a radio speech and the subsequent "V for Victory" campaign by the BBC. It is sometimes made using both hands with upraised arms as United States President Dwight Eisenhower and, in imitation of him, Richard Nixon, used to do.
Peace, or friend – used around the world by peace and counter-culture groups; popularized in the American peace movement of the 1960s.
Official source
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