Life, 1916-09-21 · page 44 of 44
Life — September 21, 1916 — page 44: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes **social snobbery and class pretension** in early 20th-century America. The opening article "Are You Superior?" mocks the emerging "superior person"—someone defined by highbrow affectations and snobbish behavior. The satire suggests that while such people are economically unnecessary and socially inconvenient, they've become a fixture of immature societies like America's. The piece critiques how pseudo-intellectuals and fake artists thrive by catering to this superior class, which lacks genuine merit but maintains social power through attitude alone. The author sarcastically notes their "holier-than-thou" pretensions should be tolerated, then suggests humiliating them—kicking them, mocking their delusions—to expose the tortoise-shell eyeglass industry's dependence on their vanity. The surrounding **Vogue advertisements** ironically reinforce the satire by targeting exactly this demographic: wealthy women obsessed with fashion authority and exclusivity, willing to spend lavishly ($2 for a magazine to save $200 on clothes) to appear superior.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
EERE come to know him (or more often her), is a combination of highbrow and snob, Far from deploring his presence, we have come to believe that upon economic grounds alone he is a necessity. In a country so immature as ours, how could pseudo-literature face removed instantly with one application of this famous prepara- tion, In Paris and New York, fa- mous beauties have used it the past 75 years, with approval of physi- cians and dermatologists. SOc and $1. Try it. But refuse cheap, dangerous substitutes. Are You Superior? : HE number of superior people ap- pears to be growing larger. Is it not proper that, along with our finan- cial system, they should be placed upon a sound basis? At present they are LL unwelcome hair on arms or forced at any time to come into con- tact with their personal inconvenience. be sold or the vast number of fake art- ists in other fields make a living with- They should undoubtedly be protected. The superior person, as we have that before you spend a penny on your new clothes, before you even plan your Winter wardrobe, you con- sult its series of great Autumn and Winter Fashion Numbers, one of the most important of which is THE PARIS OPENINGS NUMBER (READY Now) In the next few months, during the very period in which Vogue's special Fashion Numbers appear, you will be sc- lecting your entire wardrobe for the coming Winter, and paying out hundreds of dollars for the suits, hats, gowns, and accessories that you select. Ask any reader of Vogue, and she will tell you that $2 Invested in Vogue tiny fraction of your loss on one ill-chosen hat or gown Will Save You $200 The gown you buy and never wear is the really expensive gown. Gloves, boots, hats, that miss being exactly what you want are the ones that cost more than you can afford. Consider, then, that by the simple act of mailing the coupon below, and at your convenience forwarding $2 (a tiny frac- tion of your loss on a single ill-chosen hat or gown), not only may you have before you, at this important season, Vogue's great special Fashion Numbers, but all through the Winter and the coming Spring the numbers that follow them. Here Are Your Twelve Numbers: out the superior person? pretender of them all, he furnishes an Paris Opentods e complete story of the Parisopenings, establishingthe ade, Smart Fashions for Limited lacom Oct. 18 First aid to the fashionable wo- man of not unlimited means, Wioter Fashions Nov. I wing the mode in ite Winter culmination charms models smart couturiers evolve for their private clientele. Vanity Number Nov. 15 Those graceful littletouches that make the smart woman smart, where to get them and how to use them, Christmas Gifts Dec. 1 Vogue's solution of the Cl mas gift problem. Anew Holiday Number Dec. 15 More gifts and practical ideas for holiday entertaining. Lingerte Number Jen. 1 Fine linen for personal use and for the household, Motor and Southern Jen. 15 The new fashions in motor cars and the new wardrobe for the southern season. For fs Spring Fashions Feb. 1 Earliest authentic newsof Spring styles fully illustrated. Millinery Feb. 15 nets and toques from the famous milliners, Spring, Opent Mi The orang. leading couturiers of Paris. “Spring Fashions (See Special ents wordon Spring gowns, blouses snd cc. Don't Send Money Don't bother to enclose a check. of evento write a letter. The cour opponite will Cr and is easier and e your entire el str 4 pen you will wicker. With one thes problem. By mail Ht ¢ coupon you are, for the whole six mont! assured valuable and new ideas and insured against costly failures. *SPECIAL OFFER YE Paris Openings Number of fogue is now ready. mail the coupon and patibly 32 now, we wil = ai ubecrip- hon t9 Vogue with the ParisOpen- Number an you 12 Ei dveal sombee, alice inal 13iseues of Vogue: (OR) litte more convenient for ‘charge account with efounae ew with. ew pibseronon 19 Vorse wat the soll nadeendl seeker wake Tisin ali 2 numbers of Vogue. The largest X-BAZIN 223 Washington Street | DEPILATORY POWDER If your druggist docs not cep it, send direct to HALL & RUCKEL New York audience to all of the other pretenders ; without him they would all be on our hands, swelling the number of unem- ployed, already too large for comfort. His holier-than-thou attitude, while occasionally trying to some of the more humble of us, should be tolerated. When you meet him, do not kick him in the face and. jump on him with spiked shoes. Let him nour- ish his delusion, whether it be of pedigree, post-impressionism or pre- ludes. Think of the tortoise-shell eye- glass industry alonc—how much it would be affected by his dissolution! A Mean Advantage “1 hear that Laura’s engagement to the young minister is off.” “Why, yes, she told me. ribly jealous and so un “In what way was he unfair?” ery time she would make an en- ement to go motoring with some other man he would pray for rain.” —Liverpool Post He was hor- A good military school is a mighty fine discipline for many boys. They learn respect for authority, quick decision, the value of co-operation, and assurance in many unexpected ways. Besides, military drill is a splendid physical setting-up. The announcements of the best schools can be found in Scribner's Magazine every month, If detailed information is desired, address SCRIBNER’S MAGAZINE SCHOOL AND COLLEGE SERVICE DEPARTMENT Scribner Building, Fif.h Avenue New York