Life, 1927-09-15 · page 5 of 40
Life — September 15, 1927 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **Listerine advertisement** disguised as editorial content—a common early 20th-century marketing technique. The page mocks people with halitosis (bad breath) through the photograph of two women on a street. The caption "don't fool yourself / They talk about you" suggests that people with bad breath are socially ridiculed behind their backs. The ad argues that Listerine mouthwash is "the safe antiseptic" solution. A boxed statistic claims "1/3 Had Halitosis" among hotel clerks, implying the problem is widespread and socially damaging. The satire targets social anxiety and embarrassment rather than any political figure. It's a fear-based sales pitch: use Listerine or face social humiliation. This reflects Depression-era advertising that weaponized shame to sell products.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
don't fool yourself They talk about you It’s a fact that most of antiseptic essential oils those who offend by hali- combat the action of bac- tosis (unpleasant breath) Had Halitosis teria in the mouth which are unaware of it. ae alitosis is the source of most cases The one way of putting 20 hes Sart of halitosis yourself on the safe a d class F Really fastidious people polite side is to 2 keep a bottle of Listerine the mouth with. Listerine : always handy in home or before any engagement : pene: aide office to combat halitosis. —business or social. Im- I's a good idea for every- mediately, every trace of body to follow. unpleasant odor is gone, and with it Lambert Pharmacal Company, St. that dread fear of offendir And the — Louis, Mo. U.S. A. g- LISTERINE —the safe antiseptic than ever before. you'll like it. Large tube comicbooks.com