Life — April 19, 1917 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This page contains two satirical cartoons and accompanying text from *Life* magazine (page 669). **Top Cartoon**: Depicts a domestic scene where a woman confronts a man about refusing a dinner invitation from "the Mortons." The caption quotes her asking why he rejected dining with people they like, noting Mrs. Morton has worn a certain gown before and Mrs. Follett hasn't seen it. The satire mocks trivial social anxieties and status-consciousness among the upper-middle class—the concern that wearing the same dress twice among social peers is somehow damaging. **Bottom Cartoon**: Shows a barber shop scene with the caption "A SHAMPOO ON MY NECK, A SHAVE ON MY HIND LEGS AND A HAIR-CUT DOWN MY SPINE, PLEASE." This appears to ridicule exaggerated or absurd grooming requests, likely satirizing pretentious or nonsensical customer behavior. Both pieces target bourgeois social vanity and pretension.