Judge — July 29, 1916 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Judge Magazine Cover, July 29, 1916 This cover illustration by James Montgomery Flagg depicts a woman examining her reflection in a mirror, asking "Are My Lips On Straight?" The cartoon satirizes the emerging cosmetics industry and changing beauty standards of the 1910s. The woman's anxious self-scrutiny about lipstick application reflects contemporary anxieties about the "modern woman" adopting visible makeup—a practice still considered somewhat scandalous or theatrical at this time. Previously, makeup was largely associated with actresses or women of questionable reputation. The humor targets both women's newfound consumer interest in cosmetics and broader social concerns about shifting gender norms and female independence during the Progressive Era. The detailed mirror and applied lipstick emphasize the artificiality and self-consciousness surrounding these new beauty practices.