Life, 1912-03-07 · page 20 of 60
Life — March 7, 1912 — page 20: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Life magazine page satirizes the contemporary obsession with ballroom dancing as a tool for social advancement. The fictional "Life's Fashion Reform League" mocks how dancing studios marketed themselves to the wealthy and socially ambitious. Key targets include: **Social climbing**: The text jokes that foreign nobility must take dancing lessons before meeting American heiresses—suggesting American wealth trumps European titles. **Contemporary politicians as dancing partners**: The piece humorously pairs political rivals (Woodrow Wilson/Theodore Roosevelt, Joe Cannon/Senator La Follette) in dances with absurd names ("Turkey Trot," "Insurgent Coochee-Coochee"), mocking their public conflicts. **Body shaming**: A "special course for fat people" charges extra fees, satirizing the era's cruel commodification of weight loss. **Class pretension**: The cartoons contrast classical beauty ("Venus de Milo") with modern vanity. The "willowy form" illustration mocks artificial fashions. The overall joke: dancing studios promise happiness and social respectability to anyone willing to pay, exploiting human insecurity and social aspiration.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LYRE King Alfonso is one of our most enthusiastic patrons. All dukes, lords and other noblemen coming from abroad and registering at our offices must take a course in our dancing establishment before they can be introduced to any American heiresses. We have a special course for fat people, which not only reduces the weight, but gives grace and agility in six lessons. Owing to the room taken up, however, we are obliged to charge extra for anybody over two hundred “AFTER A FASHION” completed a costume for Mr. W. R. Hearst, which he will wear when stumping the country in the next campaign. We give a grand ball every Saturday evening to our regular customers, where the latest styles of dancing can be viewed and the great work that we are doing can then be fully appreciated. At the last ball given might have been seen at one time dancing together— Woodrow Wilson and George Harvey in the “ Watter- son Special.” Rollo Ogden and Theodore Roosevelt in the “ Outlook Squirm.” Governor Dix and Vice-President Sherman in the “ Al- bany Breakdown.” Attorney-General Wickersham and Frank Hitchcock in the “ Post-office Wriggle.” Joe Cannon and Senator La Follette in the “ Insurgent Coochee-Coochee.” After much pressure we have been obliged to establish branch offices in various parts of the world—notably Lon- don, Paris, Constantinople and Madrid, and are introduc- ing these American dances to royalty abroad. Queen Mary has positively refused to let King George learn the “Turkey Trot,” although he has privately ex- pressed his great desire. THE VENUS DE MILO AND THE VENUS THAT I KNOW pounds on account of the high ground rent. We make spe- cial xsthetic costumés for fat ladies, each one suited to a special dance. We have just established a dancing class for tired busi- ness men who know nothing of art, literature, philosophy, wit, humor or conversation; and whose only desire is to go where they do not have to talk or to listen to anything. They will be strictly segregated from their wives during the lessons. We expect soon to start charity classes for those peo- ple who cannot pay. Ina very short time we hope to be able, by giving salesladies and shopgirls lessons, to help them stand on their feet for twelve hours without being tired. It is impossible to be unhappy while one is dancing. We base the whole strength of our position upon this funda- mental idea. If, therefore, you are a wife, mother, daugh- ter, or, in fact, any kind of a human being, apply to us at once. The new movement is now on. HER WILLOWY FORM Life’s Fashion Reform League, comicbooks.com