Life — August 9, 1917 — page 31: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This 1950 *Life* magazine cartoon satirizes women's military roles in the post-WWII era. The scene depicts a female commanding officer ("Commandress") ordering a subordinate named Myrtle to fire what appears to be a ship's cannon or large naval weapon. The satire targets anxieties about women in combat and leadership positions. The exaggerated feminine styling (striped stockings, elaborately dressed figures) combined with serious military responsibility creates comedic incongruity—the visual suggests these aren't "serious" soldiers but rather women playing at warfare. The nautical setting and formal military dialogue underscore this tension between traditional gender roles and emerging female military participation. The joke reflects 1950s anxieties about women's expanding post-war roles and questions their legitimacy in male-dominated military hierarchies.