The Wasp — 1893 — page 190: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon depicts a young woman in academic dress (mortarboard and gown) hunched over a desk, appearing stressed or exhausted. The accompanying text frames this as social commentary about female education: "The girls to books only are wed. / They conquer Amor, but never get gay. / For this is a sample 'Co-ed.'" The satire targets the "New Woman" of the era—women attending university (specifically UC Berkeley). The joke suggests that educated women become bookish and sexually repressed, sacrificing femininity and romance for academic achievement. This reflects period anxieties about women's education and changing gender roles. The cartoon mocks both the women themselves and implies criticism of the educational system for producing such "unfeminine" results.