Life, 1923-09-20 · page 35 of 36
Life — September 20, 1923 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a humorous satirical advertisement promoting a fictional "National Obey-That-Impulse Week." The page mocks the era's growing cultural anxieties about impulsivity and social restraint by inverting them—encouraging readers to abandon caution and act on every whim immediately. The cartoon depicts a wild, energetic figure bursting through a door, embodying unbridled impulse. The text offers tongue-in-cheek examples: quitting your job, pulling false fire alarms, or calling using someone else's phone without permission. The satire works on two levels: it gently ridicules both reckless behavior *and* the self-help/advice culture that might earnestly promote such ideas. The final "impulse"—subscribing to *Life* magazine itself—reveals the entire piece as a clever advertisement disguised as social commentary, typical of *Life*'s witty, self-aware marketing style from this era (likely early-to-mid 20th century).
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
We PQOWAEEA TAMER MONTEDWERY PLAGE THIS IS NATIONAL OBEY-THAT-IMPULSE WEEK! Slogan: ‘Obey That Impulse!” OR the next seven days, everyone is urged to do every- thing he wants to do, as soon as he wants to do it. No more hesitating, no more waiting for a suitable time. Dust off your personality, and let it go for a frolic. For example: Do you long to tell your boss to take a good running jump somewhere > Get a new job first—then Obey That Impulse ! Do you always wonder what would happen if you turned in a false alarm of fire? Use some friend's phone—and Obey That Impulse! Have you ever wondered how to get a Trial Subscription to LIFE? Look in the corner of this page— and OBEY THAT IMPULSE! © One Dollar. \ Her the Dollar ($1.20 » Cana 1.40 abroad); \ Comi . ; : \ oming Special Yo i sive friend, o \ L = £ Numbers semen i e THANKSGIVING NUMBER November 1 FOOTBALL NUMBER November 22 \ & CHRISTMAS ANNUAL LIFE, 598 Madison Avenue, N. Y. City. \ December 6 One Year, $5.00 (Canadian, $5.80; Foreign, $6.60) XS e comicbooks.com