Life — March 29, 1917 — page 4: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of "Always Follow Your Leader" This cartoon satirizes rising cost-of-living during an unspecified period when prices were climbing across necessities—clothing, food, and production costs for publications like *Life* itself. The image shows a fashionably dressed woman (representing the nation's leader or leadership) on a leash held by a smaller, overburdened soldier or working man carrying heavy packages and supplies. The visual metaphor inverts typical power dynamics: the "leader" is being led by ordinary citizens bearing the actual burdens. The satire critiques how common people follow leaders passively despite economic hardship caused by leadership decisions. The title's irony suggests citizens blindly obey while suffering inflation, making the cartoon a commentary on class disparity and the disconnect between leadership and working-class struggles during this inflationary period.