Life — November 7, 1918 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 665 This page contains three satirical pieces about World War I and gender roles: **"War Love"** presents a dialogue between a soldier and woman discussing romance during wartime. The humor plays on how warfare supposedly changes social norms—she kisses him freely ("custom of the country"), which would have been scandalous pre-war behavior. **"A New View of Lovely Woman"** mocks the author's previous assumptions about women's delicacy. He describes the physical effort of military dressing (hooks, laces, equipment), suggesting women are now recognized as capable and hardy—equal to soldiers' demands. **"Why He Agreed"** shows an exhausted American surgeon refusing pro-German sympathies after extreme service, implying moral clarity through suffering. The illustrations depict soldiers in various states, emphasizing the physical transformation war demands of both men and women.