Life — September 15, 1927 — page 12: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Life Magazine Page This page contains three separate satirical pieces from Life magazine: 1. **Top cartoon "Life"**: Two well-dressed figures discuss an ugly vase, with one saying "no one could admire a thing like that even if it were antique" — satire on pretentious aesthetes who value objects solely for their age or claimed artistic merit. 2. **"Hates"** (poem by Norman R. Jaffray): Satirizes annoying social behaviors — girls who hum "di, die, die, dum," people who say "don't be sil," and those dismissing youthful exuberance as foolish. 3. **"Mothering Mercedes"**: Mocks upper-class mothers' plans to send their daughters to technical schools (electrical engineering), predicting the daughters will abandon education for marriage, socializing, and ultimately opening a tea room — satirizing women's limited professional prospects and expectations in this era.