Judge — March 11, 1922 — page 3: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Cartoon Analysis This 1922 Judge magazine cartoon depicts a domestic scene where a man reclines on a sofa while a woman sits nearby. The caption reads: "Flapper—I've simply got to stop this billing and cooing. I'm actually getting pigeon-toed!" The humor targets 1920s "flapper" culture—young women known for rejecting Victorian propriety and embracing modern, liberated lifestyles. The joke plays on the term "billing and cooing" (affectionate behavior between lovers) by literalizing it: the woman claims excessive romantic behavior is physically deforming her feet, making them resemble a pigeon's. The satire gently mocks both flapper dating customs and the physical consequences of their fashionable but restrictive footwear popular in that era.