Do you hold up the peace sign when posing for photos?

Do you like posing with the peace sign?

How do you pose when taking a photo?

Perhaps you like to take pictures with a big smile on your face, or maybe being a bit goofy is more your style.

One pose you've probably seen lots of people strike and which you may have even done yourself is the V-sign, or the peace sign.

This pose is really easy - you simply hold up your middle and index finger in a V shape with your palm facing outwards.

The symbol is popular among all kinds of people, with everyone from actors and singers to tourists and children striking the pose in photos.

But where exactly did it come from?

Read on to find out more.

Winston Churchill and 'V for Victory'

Prime Minister Winston Churchill was famous for holding up the 'V for victory' sign

Exactly when the V-sign first came about remains a bit of a mystery, with some connecting the famous symbol to the Battle of Agincourt which happened all the way back in 1415.

While many claim this to be a myth, one man known for popularising the symbol is the former British prime minister Sir Winston Churchill.

Churchill was photographed holding up the sign, which represented the letter V for victory, on several occasions throughout the Second World War.

It had already become an important symbol during the war before Churchill took on the salute, but he played a huge role in its popularity across Britain and beyond.

The former prime minister even famously flashed the pose on VE Day on the 8 May 1945, when the fighting in Europe officially came to the end.

The Vietnam War and anti-war protests

The peace sign was commonly used by activist groups in the US who were protesting against the war

The V-sign gained popularity once again during the Vietnam War in the 1960s.

But it had come to represent something different this time around.

The meaning of the symbol was no longer focused on victory, but peace.

It was commonly used by activist groups in the US who were protesting against the war.

Japan, East Asia and beyond

The peace sign became very popular in Japan and across East Asia

Nowadays, people who hold up the V or peace sign don't tend to do so for political reasons.

But how did it become more mainstream?

One theory behind the worldwide popularity of the symbol takes us to Japan, where an actor and singer called Jun Inoue is said to have flashed the sign while he was filming a commercial for cameras in the US.

The Vietnam War was still going on at the time, and Inoue explained that lots of the people he met would hold up the peace sign, so he decided to do it while he was filming.

The peace symbol went on to become popular in his home country of Japan, as well as other parts of East Asia, and it's now used all over the globe.

We want to know, what's your go to pose when taking photos? Are you a fan of the V or peace sign? Why not let us know in the comments below.