Life — September 25, 1931 — page 10: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Explanation for Modern Readers This page satirizes the frustration of parallel parking in tight urban spaces—a common 1920s-30s problem. The main article, "Best Approved Method of Getting Out of Tight Parking Places," humorously presents increasingly chaotic and destructive "solutions": hitting nearby cars, scraping curbs, damaging bumpers, and recruiting bystanders to push. The detailed instructions are mock-serious, exaggerating the aggressive behavior drivers resort to when trapped. The cartoon depicts a woman observing a man emerging disheveled from such an ordeal, with the caption "Pardon me, but can you tell me if I've had a baby?"—implying the effort has left him as exhausted as childbirth. The side humor includes brief jokes about aviation and weight gain, typical of the magazine's miscellaneous satirical content.