Judge — September 2, 1916 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This illustration mocks the fashion industry's tendency to exaggerate and promote extreme trends. The cartoon depicts fashionably dressed figures, prominently featuring women with dramatically elongated silhouettes—notably exaggerated legs and pronounced curves typical of early 20th-century "Gibson Girl" aesthetics pushed to absurdity. The caption satirizes fashion designers' claims that upcoming styles will simply amplify current trends "more pronouncedly." The instruction to say "Wow!" is sarcastic commentary on how consumers enthusiastically adopt increasingly ridiculous fashions without question. The background cityscape and varied figures suggest high society or urban fashion circles. The artist (signed "Cesare," likely) uses exaggeration to critique the fashion industry's circular logic: continuously pushing silhouettes further while claiming this represents genuine design innovation rather than mere marketing manipulation.