Life — March 26, 1925 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Facial Aesthetics" - Life Magazine Satire This page satirizes 1920s cosmetic surgery trends among wealthy women. The main cartoon mocks the obsession with facial enhancement procedures, showing a woman who has undergone so much work that she's nearly unrecognizable—her face appears grotesquely altered. The caption "What's happened to Miss Hippo? She seems changed. Haven't you heard? She's had her face lifted" uses the then-novel procedure of face-lifting as a joke. The accompanying price list from "Dr. Henry T. Lancet" (a fictional name) itemizes cosmetic procedures with costs ($1,000 for face lifting, $325 for lip modification, etc.), satirizing how wealthy clients viewed appearance as purchasable commodities. The satire targets vanity culture and the new beauty industry's promise that money could buy perfection.