Life — December 1, 1910 — page 72: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page features Life's satirical contest offering $300 to the best answer to: "Why should any man not marry a suffragette?" The cartoon shows two figures at a table—likely representing a man and woman debating the issue. The contest solicits humorous arguments *against* women's suffrage and marriage to suffragettes, reflecting Life's anti-suffrage stance during the women's voting rights movement. The "Some Reasons Why" section begins with a submitted answer ("Woman's Suffrage? Nay, Nay!") mocking the concept through exaggerated scenarios—depicting suffragettes as domineering and unfeminine. The satire positions women's political equality as ridiculous and threatening to male domestic comfort. This reveals how mainstream publications like Life actively ridiculed the suffrage movement through humor before women gained voting rights (1920).