Life, 1926-01-28 · page 29 of 36
Life — January 28, 1926 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **Listerine mouthwash advertisement** disguised as relationship advice content, a common advertising technique of the era. The "cartoon" frames a social dilemma: A woman must decide whether to frankly tell her male suitor that he has **halitosis (bad breath)**—a situation made awkward because a previous honest conversation about this with a female friend cost her that friendship. The ad uses this relatable social anxiety to introduce Listerine as the solution: rather than risk the uncomfortable conversation, the woman (or any reader) can simply use Listerine to prevent halitosis entirely. The product copy emphasizes that bad breath is "insidious"—people don't know they have it, and friends won't tell them—making Listerine a socially necessary product. This represents **1920s-30s advertising psychology**: creating manufactured social shame or anxiety, then positioning a product as the solution. The image of the woman's concerned face reinforces the emotional stakes of the dilemma being sold.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Should she be frank? N a similar case, once before, she was frank and it cost her the friend- ship of a girl who had been her chum for years. Now this same question of what to do ran through her mind. This time the offender was a man—a man who professed being much in love with her, What was she to do? Should she be frank with him? e+ * You, yourself, rarely know when you have halitosis (un- pleasant breath). That's the insidious thing about it. And even your closest friends won't tell you. Sometimes, of course, hali- tosis comes from some deep- seated organic disorder that requires professional advice. But usually—and fortunately —halitosis is only a local con- dition that yields to the regu- lar use of Listerine as a mouth-wash and gargle. It is an interesting thing that this well-known antiseptic that has. been in use for years for sur- gical dressings, possesses these unusual properties as a breath deodorant. It puts you on the safe and polite side. Listerine halts food fermen- tation in the mouth and leaves the breath sweet, fresh and clean. Not by substituting some other odor but by really removing the old one. The Listerine odor itself quickly disappears. This safe and long-trusted antiseptic has dozens of dif- ferent uses; note the little cir- cular that comes with every bottle. Your druggist sells Listerine in the original brown package only—never in bulk. There are four sizes: 14 ounce, 7 ounce, 3 ounce and 1% ounce. Buy the large size for economy.—Lambert Pharma- cal Company, Saint Louis, U.S. A. In using Listerine to com- bat halitosis you automatic- ally combat sore throat and often avoid more serious illnesses that start with throat infections, comicbooks.com