Life — January 21, 1926 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical page depicts a woman's domestic activities styled as athletic tennis moves. The central figure performs exaggerated, dynamic poses while doing ordinary household tasks: "plucking the eyebrow," "letting out a hem," and cutting cake. A small decorative chair appears below. The satire mocks the emerging "New Woman" of the 1920s—one who plays competitive sports (tennis was fashionable among women) while still managing domestic duties. By presenting housework as athletic performance, the cartoonist playfully critiques the expectation that modern women balance both spheres simultaneously. The exaggerated poses suggest the physical comedy and absurdity of performing these contradictory social roles with equal vigor.