Life — August 28, 1924 — page 10: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Bobbed Hair Problem" This satirical article addresses the 1920s controversy over women bobbing (cutting short) their hair—a radical departure from long hair conventions. The page presents humorous illustrated "styles" with absurdist names: "The Ku Klux Kut," "The Hard-Boiled Egg," "The Cat's Whiskers," and "The Dumbbell." The text describes bobbed hair as a sweeping national craze causing divided opinion, with the magazine promising to settle the "to bob or not to bob" debate. The illustrations mock both the fashion trend itself and the intense social debate surrounding it, treating women's hairstyle choice as worthy of serious public discussion and symposium. This reflects genuine 1920s anxiety about changing women's roles and appearance during the flapper era.