Life, 1926-11-25 · page 42 of 44
Life — November 25, 1926 — page 42: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page combines a **Palmolive shaving cream advertisement** with a **satirical essay** about racial stereotypes. The ad features a well-dressed businessman and promotes a new shaving cream developed after surveying 1,000 men about their preferences. It emphasizes five advantages and offers a free 10-day tube. The accompanying essay, "An Adventure in Curiosity," mocks American cartoonists' reliance on a tired stereotype: depicting all Chinese people as laundrymen who say "Flyday" (Friday) with an exaggerated accent. The author describes deliberately visiting Chinese laundries to hear this pronunciation, experiencing comical disappointment when workers say "Saturday" and "Wednesday" instead—revealing the absurdity of the stereotype itself. The juxtaposition is notable: a glossy consumer advertisement alongside content that critiques how Americans reduce entire ethnic groups to caricatured speech patterns and occupations. The satire targets not Chinese people, but American cartoonists and their lazy, repetitive stereotyping.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
SEND THE COUPON 10-Day Tube Free 1000 men tol what they most wanted in a shaving cream Then we made this unique creation to their order—as a courtesy to us, please accept a full 10-day tube to try GenTLeMeN:— We went to great lengths to please you in a shaving cream. Then gained a great market as a result. From the beginning, men by the thousands flocked to its use. We started by asking 1000 men their supreme desire in a shaving soap. They named four requirements. We met them one by one, then added a fifth they had forgotten. We tried and discarded 130 for- mulas before we found the right one. It required all our expert knowledge as soapmakers—we're the makers of Palmolive Soap as you know—to meet those requirements. To add the Gal touch to shaving luxury, we bave created Palmolive After Shaving Talc—especially for men. Doesn’t show. Leaves the skin emooth and fresh, and gives that well-groomed look. Try the sample we are sending free with the tube of Shaving Cream. There are new delights bere for every man who shaves. Please let us prove them to you. Clip coupon now. 1 1 cago, mu. 1 | Residents of Wisconsin should address The Palmolive Company I (Wis, Corp.), Milwaukee, Wis, Now men tell us we have a crea- tion superior in 5 important ways to any other known. The coupon below brings you a 1o-shave tube postpaid. Please use it; let us show you what we have done. Five Advantages 1. Multiplies itself in lather 250 times. 2. Softens the beard in one minute. 3. Maintains its creamy fullness for 10 minutes on the face. 4. Strong bubbles hold the hairs erect for cutting. 5. Fine after-effects due to palm and olive oil content. Just send coupon Your present method may suit you well. But still there may be a better one. This test may mean much to you in comfort. Send the coupon before you forget. ‘THE PALMOLIVE COMPANY (Del. Corp) CHICAGO, ILL. 0 SHAVESFREE, and a can of Palmolive I After Shaving Talc I Semply insert your name and address and mail to Dept. Berar, | Palmolive Company (Del. Corp.), 370 Iron Street, Cher | An Adventure in Curiosity DP you ever realize that accord- ing to American cartoonists the great English word for the Chinese ? Of course you didn’t. But all Chinamen in cartoons are laundrymen and all of them are either blowing water on shirts or else receiving shabby bundles from seedy customers, and saying wi great poise and equanimity: “ day.” Yes? Well, when this firs! oc- curred to me my naturally inquisitive nature was aroused. I thirsted for the musical note of “Fliday”; I de- veloped a terrific passion to hear that one word spoken as only a Chinaman could speak it. For many years we have had an excellent laundress. She never steals my cuff-links or rips off responsi- ble buttons. I admire her, and so it was with considerable misgivings that I sneaked out of the house one morning with a small parcel of six nether garments in search of a bath. I entered a very respectable Chinese laundry, and said, in my most celes- tial manner: “When can I have these back?” A breathless interval. “Satulday.” A rather severe blow, I thought; but then this is a world of disap- pointments. Another day, another bundle. “When can I have these?” “Wenday.” I banged the door as I went out, and I could hear the little bell at- tached to it jangling in an altogether irritating way. Subsequent tries were no better. I came carly, I came late. Once I leaned over the coun- ter in a confidential manner and talked to the spokesman while he fingered a Chinese lightning calcula- tor. “Look here.” I said this tactfully, leading up to my point. “Thursday bad day for me to come for shirts.” (I had considered saying ‘‘shirtee,” but rejected it as over-familiar.) “How about later in week?” “All light. Next day.” I fled. One morning a new gleam came into my eye. I beheld a sign, and it said: “Wah Lee. 24-Hour Laun- dry I had now been bootlegging shirts for some weeks. Punctually at noon on Thursday I was there. “When can I have?” “Tomollow.” I have decided to raise our laun- dress’s wages. David McCord. Dx miss the CHRISTMAS NUMBER of LIFE—out next week! comicbooks.com!