Life, 1913-09-25 · page 11 of 43
Life — September 25, 1913 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a satirical letter purporting to be from a Japanese schoolboy criticizing American women's fashion trends. The writer complains that ladies' clothing has become increasingly revealing and scandalous—mentioning short skirts, glass dresses, and immodest exposure. The satire works on multiple levels: it uses a foreign perspective to mock American fashion excess, while simultaneously mocking Japanese attitudes toward Western culture. The accompanying cartoon shows women in various scanty outfits being critiqued by what appears to be a stern authority figure. The piece satirizes both the rapid adoption of daring fashions in 1920s America and the conservative moral panic these changes provoked. By presenting criticism through a "shocked foreigner" lens, Life magazine both ridicules excessive prudishness and pokes fun at how American fashion was perceived internationally.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“SERPS Letters of a Japanese School-boy When will Lady-Fashions Get Ashamed of Themselves ? To Editor “ Life” or who- ever prints it, EAR SIR:— Of lately I have been studying American: style of fashions for ladies, so I shall know your civilization from both ends. It are a very hard science to chase and in doing so I an- nexed my acquaintance to Miss Alice Furaoki, to who I shall become en- gaged when divorced. This sweet- hearted Japanese school-girl dress so similar to American actresses you cannot tell her from white lady, ex- cept when you look at her. Last Satday eve, p. m. when I was accomplishing her down street for see emotion-picture show, price toc, I felt very Vanderbiltish to walk so near to Newport dressmaking. My eye hooked itself to her clothing and remained there till—O sudden!—I observe what I blushed entirely yellow. cuse, please, Hon. Miss Sweet- heart,” I gollup. “ Your dressmake has axidentally forgot to sew up the ankle of your skirt so I observe something deranged.” “What derangement do you ob- serve?” she require with Vassar cye- brow: “Not sure,” I stotter. “It seems to resemble the biceps of your hosiery.” “That biceps is situated where it usually is,” she otter clamly like an ice box. “Should shockly. “It are style,” she decry, “and style are never ashamed. Togo, why should you stand there gasping like Queen Victoria seeing Paris? This garments I are wearing are called a gashed skirt and is now very favorite at Newport, and Jewport, on Fifth & Sixth Ave- nues. Queen Mary of London wore one (very slightly) while giving Ice Cream Social to Knights of the Garter. In Paris it were even more so, as usual. Two French countesses from Minne- it be ashamed?” I ask apolis appeared tired out in this cos- tume at Long Chumps race-course and everybody was so asphyxiated by charm they forgot to lose their money.” “Horses must feel very slow when racing against such style,” I report nervely. “I am alarmed to think to where fashions will jump to nextly.” “More will soonly explode from Vienna where a gentleman-dressmake have invented a dress all of glass,” she narrate with smiling eyebrows. “It will be worn in beautiful green shades.” “Green shades are necessary to pull down sometimes when you are living in glass clothing,” I say so for Elbert Hubbard smartness. Miss Furaoki make no intellectual reply, so we arrive inside emotion-pic- ture show to see that noiseless opera. I think I shall marry her sooner than ever. Mr. Editor, Hon. Anthony Comestop and other celebrated purities is con- tinuously complaining because female ladies is becoming too much seen in public places. Women is becoming too brave and their skirts too shrink- ing. Hon, Comestop, who are not so strong as he were before he took up modesty as a business, fainted 2% times when he seen photos of Lady Bluff-Gorgon’s latest style-simpony en- titled “ Spring Twilight” and he have ordered entire U. S. Army to encamp at Custom House to stop it when she send over Fall-style walking-suit called “September Morn.” Considerable ministers, judges and boss policemen has been talking like angry uncles to ladies because of the increasing decrease of their clothing. I read in news-print last week how Hon. Judge Killjoy of Salem, Mass, wish to burn all witches under 27 years of age for bewitching gentlemen by the clothes they don't wear. Last week he order Hon. Police to grabb all ladies wearing dangerous skirts, but Hon. Police were too lazy to arrest entire female population, so he brought Village Belle into court, because she looked most so. Hon. Judge observe that lady's clingstone appearance and put on eye- spectacles, because must see careful. “Mrs Madam,” he report legally like Hon. Taft, “I are not astonished that there are such delicious quantities of Cubist artists in this generation. They are the only artists which can paint modern ladydress so it conceals them sifficiently.’ “Do you not like what I got on?” she require. “IT do not object to such smallish matters,” he negligee. “It is for the absent that I mourn.” “Tare dressed in style,” she dib feminitely. “You are dressed in very little else,” “*Do you not like what I got on?’ she require.” comicbooks.com