Life — March 2, 1916 — page 10: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Explanation of This Life Magazine Page This page satirizes American men adopting European fashion styles, specifically facial hair trends associated with women's suffrage activism. The top article mocks "suffragettes' husbands" and their various mustache styles—the "half-mast," "slimony-sweep," and "goatee"—suggesting these men have become effeminate or weak by supporting their wives' political activism. The bottom cartoon, captioned "IS THIS THE EVOLUTION OF A HYPHENATED AMERICAN CITIZEN?", shows five male faces progressing from stern, traditionally masculine mustaches on the left to increasingly exaggerated styles, ending with a woman's face on the right. This anti-suffrage cartoon ridicules male suffrage supporters as unmanly, implying they're becoming feminized by association with the women's movement. The satire reflects early 20th-century opposition to women's voting rights.