Life — July 22, 1920 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Original One-Man Top" — Life Magazine, July 22, 1920 This illustration satirizes women's fashion, specifically the "one-man top" or one-piece bathing suit/garment. The cartoon depicts two fashionable figures in an ornate archway: one wearing an elegant patterned dress with decorative elements, the other leaning in wearing a black coat and hat. The satire likely critiques how the "one-man top" — a revealing or form-fitting garment — was marketed as empowering or modern women's fashion while actually attracting male attention. The intimate pose and the title suggest irony about female independence versus the garment's actual social function of attracting men. This reflects 1920s debates over women's changing roles and fashion following women's suffrage (1920).