Life — August 24, 1911 — page 12: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Roof Garden Coiffures" This cartoon satirizes women's fashions and behavior at upscale roof gardens—popular summer entertainment venues in early 20th-century cities. The sketch depicts women in elaborate hats and clothing, engaged in flirtation and socializing. The accompanying text offers tongue-in-cheek advice to women: maintain your figure through diet ("never eat more than four meals a day"), avoid stripes in clothing, and remember that military and navy officers don't judge women by age or weight. The satire targets middle-class women's fashion obsessions and their pursuit of romantic attention from servicemen. The second illustration reinforces this theme, captioning that officers "never consider age or weight"—mocking women's anxieties about appearance and their social ambitions.