Life, 1915-04-01 · page 17 of 72
Life — April 1, 1915 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a satirical letter written in deliberately broken English by a Japanese writer critiquing American women's fashion changes. The cartoon shows a Japanese man in traditional dress observing Western fashion. The humor relies on several layers: 1. **The "Foreigner Perspective" Device**: Life magazine uses exaggerated fractured English to satirize both the speaker and his targets—American women's rapidly changing fashions. 2. **The Actual Target**: Despite the Japanese narrator framing, the real satire attacks American women's clothing styles. Women's fashion was changing dramatically in this era (the reference to "last November" suggests recent shifts), moving from fitted silhouettes toward looser, more voluminous designs. 3. **The Hypocrisy Angle**: The letter suggests women wear disguises and masquerades to hide infidelity or deception, blaming fashion changes for marital discord. 4. **Period Context**: The mention of "Anthony Comstock" (a real censorship crusader) and references to "Paris models" reflect early 1900s concerns about European fashion's "corrupting" influence on American morality. The satire ultimately mocks both the writer's outdated views and American fashion's rapid, confusing evolution.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Tu Editor “Life Mlustrated Supple- ment” who undertake tell all human races how they should look, partly by comical illustrations which are too aecural ARK MR SIR:— Miss Alice Furioki, to whom I sn married with exception that divorce from her former finance, Arthur Kick ahajama, missionary hoy, are not yet quite consumed by Court House, ap proach to me yestday with disguised appearance of lady intending to he something else, “Why is?” 1 look so respectable and refined 1 did rate bash. “you not recognize you for fashion? “Mr Togo,” she report boarding- schoolfully, change onee per annually what would army of 1000000 unemployed do for These new-fangle for lady to wear so you can tell them from old-fashion, frumb & mark-down.” “You seem too enlarged by skirt and too diminuendo by hat,” I narrate malefully. “You give Gen. Appear- ance of funnels standing on their heels. Why should lady-hats, formerly so wide like roofs, be abruptly concen- trated to resemble tin-can bonnet wore Hon. Happy Hooligan? In date of yore (last November) skirts s tight- side around the limbs of your leg to resemble skimp peculiar to sausages. What now? Your whole appearance while walking is blown out! You stand circular inside of dry-goods and nobody but Nature knows whether you are there or not. I are not siprised that divorce is so numerous in U. S Gentleman marry lady with expecta- tion that she are constructed of lead- pencils from feet to kneck and branches out like tree from r to top-tip of head. While marrying her he say, “Ah! that is beauty! Ladyhood should he slim-up spread-top ideal like letter T. Hon. Venus MeMilo, celebrated goddess, were entirely wrong in how she was deformed. My Wife are what if stylish styles did not employment ? dishguise are “VES Letters of a Japanese School-boy The Strles of the Season is for all eles female form, m satisfied despite of ance of Therefore | extravagance for dressmake.’ Thusly on he see something clse ap- he think six (6) months when sudden wg him from Fifth Ave. Pon- diferous lovliness come towards him ts walking inside of cabbages, Her beauty of proae with dignity resembling ¢ hair, which was formerly switched hackw f escaping rds for appearance “T shall fix mind to that dearie sweetish little girl” on its knob, are‘now scroll-sawed with rooster-comb expression, You can tell she is wearing hat hecause something circular are pinned to her brain. Her wrists and upper individuality are en- closed by stand-out wings, flutters, ils and other obstrucles. She come- up towards him and report ‘ Ah, dearie sir, how-do now?" He look. He blosh away intentional to escape. ‘You not know your own choose?’ He back si treme shock fill his soul to he thus familiarized. * Woman,’ he say so with Ant Comstock expression, “who are you to say words to me with- out acquaintanceship or other home ‘You no know me?" she otter sweetishly. He stand gast for this phenomenal, then something remindful in the way she wears her face-powder ties jerk him sensible. ‘So hat" he goggle, “you are my wife!’ ‘You have abso- Intely recognized me.’ she report for smiling. ‘Then why,’ he snarrel, why you go forthly on sth Ave thusly dish- guised by daylight? Do not talk while king—ladywoman, 1 am lin my. sispicion. You’ have you justi heen w © spe: aring this masquerade for years so you could not he recognized and could meet another corespondent.’ She Name of and even more Unhappiness is there and make excuse of Paris model Paris make jalous hus! suspect ful. nothing can he enjoyed except divorce. Result of this is which? Hon. Wife. losing respectable home-surroundings in 189th Street, accept Soo$ weekly in musical comedy and die from shock Thusly is several happinesses ruined by style.” Miss Alice Furioki reply by. silence and stood hroshing pleats from. scal- lops. “How,” Tsay for question, “ean statesmen, ticket speculators, Wall Street and clergymen accomplish some- thing by setting around using their considerable brains finding out what next when ladies is at dressmakers planning something else? There can- not be any stable to Government if this continue onwards. Because which? Because the hand that shocks the cradle fools the world. Men-thoughts is gov- erned by lady-ideas, is not? Yes, is! All right then. Sipposing President of Cucumber Trust was setting in ooth floor of Insecurity Insurance Bldg making fig- ures to show how he could own entire pickles of universe by 1020. For 66 weeks he have engaged entire time of Prof Boris Sidis, Roger W. Babson and Dr Wm H. Taft for show by sta- comichooks.