Life — May 24, 1928 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Aphrodite Beauty Shoppe When Medusa Calls for a Permanent Wave" This cartoon satirizes women's beauty culture and the absurdity of applying modern cosmetic procedures to mythological figures. It depicts Medusa—the Gorgon with serpents for hair—visiting a beauty salon for a permanent wave (a popular 1920s-30s hair treatment). The humor lies in the incongruity: her writhing snake-hair makes a permanent wave both unnecessary and impossible. The beauty shop workers appear flustered, suggesting the practical impossibility of their task. The cartoon mocks both the vanity driving women to beauty treatments and the salon industry's claim to transform anyone's appearance. The accompanying "Little Rambles" section collects quotations on love, literature, and modern life—typical Life magazine filler content mixing humor with social commentary.