Life — September 13, 1923 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "What Fur?" - September 13, Page 9 This page satirizes 1920s women's fashion, specifically the wearing of fur garments. Six illustrated figures display different fur styles with accompanying commentary on each. The satire targets the extravagance and pretension of fur fashion among wealthy women. Each caption mockingly describes a fur type—ranging from "saucy manteau" to "Alaskan Chippet"—with tongue-in-cheek language about warmth, elegance, and status. The humor lies in exposing how fur-wearing was simultaneously impractical (some furs are too heavy or awkwardly shaped) yet socially prized as a luxury status symbol. The exaggerated body shapes of the illustrated women further ridicule the fashion's vanity. This reflects broader 1920s satire of women's consumer culture and the arbitrary nature of fashion trends during the Jazz Age.