Judge — April 20, 1918 — page 14: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon mocks women's military training during World War I. The drawing depicts various absurd training activities—"hatpin exercises," "gas mask practice," "shock troops," "infantry attack"—treating feminine accessories and stereotypes as weaponry. The satire targets both the novelty of women entering military service and anxieties about women abandoning traditional femininity. References to "dress parades," strict grooming rules ("low neck and rouged noses will not be tolerated"), and the offer of a "cream puff" as reward mock the contradiction between military discipline and contemporary expectations of ladylike behavior. The cartoon reflects early-20th-century skepticism about women's combat roles, presenting female soldiers as inherently comic rather than credible fighters. The tone is patronizing—simultaneously joking about women's military capability while acknowledging their actual participation in wartime efforts.