Life — June 4, 1914 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is the cover of Life magazine's "Feminist Number" from June 4, 1914, priced at 10 cents. The illustration shows a sailor (center) flanked by two women in early-1910s dress. The women appear to be flirting with or vying for his attention—one holds a parasol, suggesting leisure and courtship. The satire likely mocks the feminist movement by depicting women as still primarily focused on attracting men, undermining claims of independence and equality. The "helpless" sailor caught between competing female attention ironizes both feminist aspirations and traditional gender dynamics. This reflects the magazine's skepticism toward women's rights activism during the suffrage era, suggesting feminists were hypocritical or that female liberation was incompatible with conventional femininity and romantic pursuit.