Life — September 30, 1926 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Mrs. Peps Diary" - University of Southern California Satire This page satirizes college life at USC through a fictional diary entry. The top cartoon shows four female freshmen with cigarettes, captioned as planning to visit a male student's house to see if "she'll really stick to a fellow who smokes a pipe"—mocking both women's smoking (then scandalous) and dating behavior. The main illustration depicts a couple in a canoe, with the caption "What you gettin' ready to shoot, si?" / "Picnickers"—suggesting the man is hunting unsuspecting couples, likely a commentary on campus romance and predatory behavior. The diary text itself humorously recounts mundane college social activities and romantic speculation, satirizing the triviality of student concerns and gossip during the 1920s era.