Judge — November 30, 1912 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes women's body image and diet culture anxieties. A woman gazes into a concave mirror—which optically compresses and slims reflections—finding it gratifying because it makes her appear thinner than she actually is. The accompanying limerick jokes that despite rigorous exercise and dieting, she's gained weight. The mirror offers psychological comfort through optical illusion rather than actual results. The satire targets the gap between effort and outcomes in weight loss, and women's vulnerability to false reassurances about appearance. The cartoon reflects early-20th-century anxieties about female body image and commercial diet schemes, while mocking the self-deception involved in seeking flattering rather than accurate reflections of reality. The figure in the mirror serves as the punchline—literal distortion replacing honest self-assessment.