Life — April 7, 1921 — page 10: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Thoughts of Hermione: The Modern Young Woman" This satirical piece mocks an intellectually pretentious young woman ("Hermione") who adopts fashionable progressive ideas without genuine understanding. The cartoon by James Montgomery Flagg shows her in conversation, illustrating her scattered thoughts about contemporary intellectual trends. The satire targets her casual name-dropping of figures like H.G. Wells and G.K. Chesterton, discussions of Relativity and Psychoanalysis, and enthusiasm for Ouija boards and "Complexes"—all presented as trendy affectations rather than serious engagement. The text ridicules her contradictory positions (claiming to champion the working classes while taking "slumming tours") and her shallow engagement with serious topics like Freudian psychology and social reform. The piece mocks 1920s intellectual fashion among wealthy young women.