Judge — May 7, 1921 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Grace Before Meat" - Judge Magazine, May 7, 1921 This cartoon satirizes courtship and gender dynamics of the 1920s. A man in formal attire stands on a lower step, gazing up admiringly at an elegantly dressed woman on a higher step—literally and figuratively elevating her position. The title "Grace Before Meat" is a pun: it references the traditional prayer said before eating ("grace before meals"), but here "meat" is slang for an attractive woman. The humor lies in the reversal of power dynamics: the man is in the subordinate position, metaphorically "worshipping" the woman before pursuing her romantically. For 1921 readers, this would humorously capture anxieties about changing gender relations during the Jazz Age, when women gained more independence and social freedom, leaving men uncertain about their traditional roles.