Judge, 1919-05-31 · page 9 of 36
Judge — May 31, 1919 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Equality" - Social Satire on Gender and Fashion The main cartoon depicts a young couple on a sweltering August day. The woman wears heavy winter furs and multiple layers, while the man sweats in lightweight summer clothing. When he questions her outfit, she explains that women are demonstrating "strength of character" by enduring winter fashion imposed by male-dominated fashion industry, without complaint—contrasting this with men's constant griping about summer heat despite wearing comfortable clothes. The satire mocks early 20th-century gender ideology: it suggests men control fashion standards that torment women, yet men lack the "character" to accept minor discomfort themselves. The joke is that women's supposed strength is really submission to impractical fashion dictates, while men demand comfort without recognizing their hypocrisy. The smaller cartoon about the politician (captioned "Imbecile") jokes that he went insane trying to actually fulfill campaign promises—a separate jab at political dishonesty.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Mee 2 ts Drawn by Cavent Surru The dilemma of a young man who has brought his girl a piece of lace from abroad, which he thought she could wear on a dress Equality By Cc. = MOPPED his perspiring brow as tni street, while she, sweetly looking into his y met in the miring face, drew a little higher on her shoulders the fur garment that pro- tected them and her neck from the was well-nigh intolerable, but whil eather. The August heat it affected the weaker sex in direct ratio, it had quite the opposite effect on each charming new woman whose strength of character enabled her to visualize wintry blasts in the midst of summer’s scorch or humidity, as the case should be, and so to avail of the fashionable opportu- nity to don winter furs. It was a refreshing picture. She, stand- ing so demurely, arrayed in that indescribably charming com- bination of silk and lace and chiffon and fur and velvet, pro- tected so well from the exigen cies of climate as to contribute imaginary coolness to the minds of onlookers. While he, clothed in Palm-Beachers, pur- sued his daily business with an obvious consciousness of the state—the real state—of the ther- mometer thrust upon him. They stood in mutual admi ration for a full second or two, when he, looking her swiftly over, remarked a bit drily, “Well, Draven by Caawronn Yours “Oh, look, Mt Every time I bite ‘im he hollers!"” my dear little wife, when you told me at breakfast to wear my very lightest suit I did not dream that you were likely to sport your next winter’s costume! Is it a tryout?—and on a day like this! Or, what’s the idea?” And mere man mopped his face for the ’stcenth time, interrogat Finally she spoke: “Why, Jack, you forget that we women are really exhibiting our strength of character. Here is Fash- ion, controlled mainly by your own sex, imposing upon us in midsummer these winter habiliments—and do we flinch? Not a bit of it. We wear our clothes without a murmur. But you— you men—dressed in ways en- tirely comfortable, go about scold- ing constantly because summer isn’t winter! There seems to be something the matter with your psychology!” Imbecile “And why is he here?” we inquired, stopping in front of Padded Cell No. 44. “He was a politician and when he finally got an office he ally tried to carry out his campaign pledges,” replied the attendant, In Their Grip “Have you decided on the make of automobile you're going to buy?” “No; but a dozen salesmen have.” comicbooks.com