Life — December 11, 1903 — page 3: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 601 The main cartoon depicts three well-dressed men examining dolls on a table, captioned "Which" and titled "Her Reasons." The satire appears to target women's consumer behavior and marriage choices—specifically satirizing women as objects to be evaluated like commodities. The poem "Her Reasons" mocks a woman who married poorly, describing her as vain and materialistic ("She wears a dress...it cost no less than ninety-five thousands"). The right column, "From a Society Woman's Diary," contains brief, sharp observations about upper-class female behavior—critiquing women who wear excessive diamonds and the French character. The overall message is misogynistic satire typical of early-20th-century Life magazine: women are superficial consumers and poor judges of character in marriage. The humor relies on negative stereotypes about female vanity and judgment.