Life — May 16, 1930 — page 6: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Page 4, Life Magazine This page contains two satirical sections about American college life. **"Remote Control"** (top cartoon) depicts people clustered at a doorway, humorously suggesting college students' difficulty leaving home despite their age and independence. **"Some Exaggerations"** (below) lists wildly inflated stereotypes about American college culture—absurdly wide freshman trousers, kidnapped Smith College girls, beauty pageants, and excessive drinking. The accompanying illustration labeled **"Goin' fishin', Mister?"** shows a fisherman laden with seemingly every popular cultural item mentioned: Joan Crawford photos, trench coats, H.L. Mencken, and other contemporary references. The satire mocks how college folklore exaggerates student behavior and consumer trends into mythic proportions. The page ridicules both actual college excess and the gossipy mythology surrounding campus life.