Stop! 1929

This Soviet poster warns against prostitution and moral decay in the 1920s–1930s. In the foreground, a young working-class woman in a red kerchief raises her hand in a commanding “stop” gesture toward a tall, ghostly white figure representing a prostitute. The background features abstracted urban buildings, neon-like lights, and groups of men lurking, symbolizing the dangers of city nightlife. The contrast between the healthy, brightly dressed worker and the pale, spectral figure emphasizes the ideological message: the Soviet citizen must resist temptation and corruption. The inclusion of a short poem at the bottom reinforces the call for vigilance and moral strength. Such posters were part of a broader campaign to eradicate prostitution, linking it to capitalist exploitation and urban vice.

Night streetwalker

Night streetwalker –
Here is the struggle we must face,
Here is what must be defeated.
A leftover of the old regime
Still stands before you!

Feathers, powders, painted masks,
The glitter of false beauty,
Selling their very souls,
Ugly cats of the night.

Infectious pleasure,
Lewd cries until dawn —
This vile delusion
Should have ended long ago.

We must cleanse this rotting pit,
Make the cities healthy again,
Through proletarian strength,
Through women’s will and labor.

Demyan Bedny