Life, 1924-02-14 · page 35 of 36
Life — February 14, 1924 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **Listerine advertisement**, not a political cartoon. The page uses a melodramatic narrative to sell mouthwash by exploiting social anxiety. **The scenario:** A woman overhears men discussing her (implied) bad breath. Distressed and unable to explain her upset to her escort, she goes home and cries. **The pitch:** The ad acknowledges that halitosis (bad breath) can stem from serious health issues, but suggests it's often a "local condition" treatable with Listerine mouthwash and gargling. It notes the product has been "trusted as such for half a century." **The social context:** This reflects early-20th-century advertising that weaponized social embarrassment—particularly targeting women—to sell hygiene products. The implicit message: bad breath could ruin your evening, your reputation, and your romantic prospects. This is a classic example of **shame-based marketing**, not satire or political commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
It ruined her entire evening Sov HING that she had overheard quite by accident—several men talking about her when they didn't know she was near Surely this sort of thing couldn't be true of and yet she had heard them with her own ears! he couldn't get home fast enc Nor could she explain to her escort why she was so upset She felt only like bursting into tears—which she did the moment she was alone. That's the a out bali breath), You, y And even your mmetimes, of course, halitosis comes from some deep: d organic disorder that requires professional advice MALITOSIS “TISTERINE a comicbooks.com