Judge, 1927-09-17 · page 11 of 36
Judge — September 17, 1927 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "How Are Your Hormones?" - Judge Magazine Satire This article by Sybil Clack Hanneman satirizes the 1920s-era obsession with "hormones" as an explanation for social behavior and posture. The accompanying photographs of feet and legs in various positions mock the pseudoscientific advice literature that was ubiquitous at the time. The satire works by applying serious hormone-theory language to trivial physical details—commenting on leg position, wrist angle, and foot spacing as indicators of "social prestige" or "inferiority." References to specific people (M. Smirch, T. Willet, Jack Wilson) appear to be contemporaneous Judge regulars or public figures, though their exact identities are unclear. The piece ridicules both the fad of attributing personality to hormones and the etiquette-obsessed culture that judged character through posture. The absurd commentary (lightning strikes, subway accidents, "spades are trumps") undercuts the pseudo-expert tone, revealing the whole enterprise as nonsense dressed in scientific language.
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LADIES’ HOME JOURNAL NUMBER : G 2 oe . G K ’ @ How Are Your Hlarmones? R | ach in his hair because he Qy, ae ny crowded, stifling city streets? Even a «| Sypin Crack Hannemann tiibution wil keep them out of gang fights, probably with pistols. C. Both harmones are vulgar and common. The right leg should never be wound around the neck, except in rare cases of subway accidents. eee, —s thought it wa lad? Har- 1 mon Do you know how your Uncle Alfred acts on two whiskey sours? Harmones. Do you remember Sweet Alice Ben Bolt?) Har—but why go on? In this day age correlated har- mones are indispensable to correct pos- arches. Just before this picture was taken the female harmone climbed a tall tree and was struck by lightning two days later. B. There is nothing at all the mat- é 1 T f ter with this group, except that none ke Decentralta ’ and in the cane. oF ture and nent. Too often of them has ever had a chance. Who the middle harmone, showing a dis- a ca eless consideration of these little \ij) send in the Five-Foot Shelf or tinct tendency toward double internal soldiers leads to flat feet, broken en- strabismus, causing the left wrist to gagements and bad debts. And no girl turn on the follow-through, producing —no woman worthy of the name of y hook. woman—having once stopped to con- ). Spades are trumps. The East sider, will permit neglected untidy, harmone le: little Casino. North run-down, unchecked, dowdy, distorted and South must take six tricks against harmones sist. How often, ala: a perfect defense. have you h My dear, X is simply F. This sturdy front line is expected crawling with natural distinction and to make trouble for Harvard next Sat- charm. If she’d only do something urday. Reading from left to right: about her hurmones!” What to do? M. Smirch, stroke; T. Willet, cover Massage will help, but proper training point; R. Purblind, substitute, and Jack Wilson, the whispering baritone. will help, oh, so much more! The ac- companying pictures will do more to G. Harmones are spaced and aligned, but lacking in subtlety. The forearm set you right than anything I can s should be raised slightly and the little sh you a happy Easter. is indeed an atrocious pair finger follow the general sweep of the of badly aerated har- draper mones, suffering from H. Simply horrible! The position clearly cramps and fallen shows inferiority and lack of social prestige.