Life — March 1, 1923 — page 23: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This six-panel satirical strip mocks men making excuses about their eyesight and vision problems. Each panel shows a man denying he needs glasses or admitting vision issues: Panel 1: A man claims his papers look fine despite obvious blur. Panel 2: A character dismisses looking "kinder" as merely due to lack of sleep. Panel 3: A man questions whether Edison's lightbulb is "darn'd queer." Panel 4: He insists he doesn't need glasses, having "always had perfect eyesight." Panel 5: He claims he can read tiny letters perfectly ("A...R-I-C"). Panel 6: Despite deteriorated appearance, he denies looking "rotten." The satire targets male stubbornness and vanity—men refusing to admit aging vision problems rather than wear corrective glasses. The deteriorating appearance across panels emphasizes how denial worsens their condition, a common comedic theme in early 20th-century magazines.