Judge, 1927-09-24 · page 25 of 36
Judge — September 24, 1927 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **Listerine advertisement**, not political satire. The page uses social embarrassment as its marketing hook. The image shows a couple in an intimate moment, with the woman's expression suggesting discomfort or displeasure. The headline "don't fool yourself" warns that no matter how charming or well-liked you are, bad breath ("halitosis") will make you "unpopular." The ad exploits anxiety about social acceptability—a common advertising strategy of the era. It claims that 1 in 3 people suffer from halitosis and that it stems from teeth and gums. The solution: use Listerine mouthwash before social encounters. A secondary advertisement promotes Listerine Tooth Paste as whitening and faster-acting than competitors. The satire here is social rather than political: it mocks how easily people can be made to feel self-conscious about invisible personal hygiene issues, using embarrassment as a sales tactic.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
~ dont fool yourself No matter how charming you may Immediately it destroys un- be, or how fond of you your 1/3 , ‘ friends are, you can’t expect them Had Halitosis to put up with halitosis (un- ZOO agntists flee pleasant breath) forever. Don’t by fool yourself that you are always pleasant odors arising from teeth and) gums—the most common source of halitosis. And its anti- septic essential oils combat free from halitosis. _Few people the action of bacteria in the escape it. : mouth, Since you yourself cannot tell Better keep a bottle handy in whether you offend this way, the wisest thing home and office, so that you may always be to do is to use Listerine, the safe antiseptic, sure. Lambert Pharmacal Company, St. before any engagement with nice people. Louis, Mo., U.S. A. LISTERINE FALL IN LINE! —the safe antiseptic Millions are switching to Listerine Tooth Paste because it cleans teeth whiter and in quicker time than ever before. We'll wager you'll like it. Large tube 25c. comicbooks.com