While more widely recognised today as a gesture of peace or triumph, the origins and evolution of the two-fingered “V for Victory” sign have more to do with wartime strategy, political symbolism and defiance.
The gesture as we know it was popularised during World War II. In January 1941, Belgian politician Victor de Laveleye, broadcasting on the BBC to Nazi-occupied Europe, suggested that Belgians use the letter “V” for victoire (French) or vrijheid (Dutch) – both meaning “victory” or “freedom”. It was a unifying symbol that crossed linguistic lines – something simple that people under occupation could use as a silent form of resistance. Soon, the letter “V” was chalked onto walls, carved into trees, and stamped on posters all across Europe.
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill seized upon the gesture and made it a central part of his public image during the war. He frequently flashed the V-sign with his palm facing outward, as a confident and defiant statement against Nazi Germany. When the palm is turned inward (toward the signer), especially in the UK and Commonwealth countries, the gesture has a very different meaning – an insulting or obscene one akin to giving the middle finger. Churchill famously made this mistake early on before aides corrected him. See first image below.
BBC assistant news editor Douglas Ritchie even suggested an audible V using its Morse code rhythm (three dots and a dash, …—). As the rousing opening bars of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony had the same rhythm, the BBC used this as its call-sign in its foreign language programmes to occupied Europe for the rest of the war. That really irritated the Nazis.
The V-sign 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.
Meanwhile, the V-sign's post-war journey took a surprising turn in the 1960s and 1970s when it was co-opted by the counterculture and anti-war movements, especially in the United States. Activists protesting the Vietnam War adopted the gesture as a symbol of peace, love and resistance to violence. This era transformed the sign’s connotation in Western culture from a wartime symbol of military triumph to a broader emblem of harmony and nonviolence. See also Peace Symbol [RR2:55].
In modern times, the gesture has continued to evolve. It’s used in photographs globally – particularly in East Asia – where flashing the V-sign while posing has become a cheerful and almost reflexive action. In countries like Japan (where it is known as pīsu sain (ピースサイン, peace sign) – it often denotes friendliness, enthusiasm or even a cute persona, especially among younger people.
Despite its global ubiquity, context remains crucial. In the UK, for example, the palm-inward version is still considered offensive. Meanwhile, in the digital era, emojis representing the V-sign (Unicode character “U+270C ✌ VICTORY HAND”) further spread the gesture’s meanings, often stripped of historical or cultural nuance.
The V for Victory sign is a prime example of how symbols evolve across time and borders. It began as a rallying cry for freedom and has become one of the world’s most flexible hand gestures – capable of signalling anything from resistance to peace to simple joy in front of a camera.
Postscript
In addition to the risks due to different interpretations of the V-sign in different cultures, it has been suggested that fairly close photographs of palm-out V-signs may be a security risk, as people's fingerprints can be clearly identified, allowing misuse. At a distance of 1.5m or less, 100% of a fingerprint can be captured, and 50% at up to 3m. Be warned!
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