Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, June 1922 · page 6 of 68
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #34 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is satirical commentary on 1920s social reform movements, particularly around bathing suit modesty standards. The text mocks "reformers" who wanted to mandate extremely conservative swimwear (burlap extending six inches below the heels) while praising St. Petersburg, Florida's newly elected mayor who ran on a platform supporting modern one-piece bathing suits. The humor relies on the contrast between reformers' strict morality and the author's celebration of summer leisure and modest modernization. The "Plymouth Rock or White Leghorn" reference uses chicken breeds as metaphors for innocent young women unfairly targeted by moral crusaders. This reflects the 1920s "culture war" between traditionalists opposed to changing social mores (shorter skirts, simpler swimwear) and those embracing modern fashion. The magazine takes the modernist side, portraying reformers as foolishly out-of-step with contemporary life.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
4 Captain Billy's Whiz Bang contemplate visiting our Pelican Lake place to stick their tongues out at the "doc" before rush- ing away to where the dogwoods bark merrily and the sparrows tweet cheerily every time there is a new squeak from the long-suffering hammock. Believe us or not—but this is the life. * * * AS THE old song goes—we love the cows and chickens and also the chipmunks and chiggers. We love the rutabagas and the "skeeters"; the sighing pines; the pale pink pickerel and perch; the flapping Cinderellas on their first outing away from the rattle of the city. We also love the one-piece bathing suit, and Whiz Bang takes this opportunity of extending greetings of the summer to the new mayor of St. Petersburg, Fla., who was elected on a one-piece bathing suit platform. If the reform- ers had their way the 1922 bathing creation would be built of burlap bag, embellished with bright embroidery of Smith Brothers cough drops and would extend six inches below the heels. Somebody ought to make these reform fish eat some of their own consomme. The chief trouble with them is that they think the whole regiment is out of step because they got off on the wrong foot. And so they step out and pick onto some beautiful young Plymouth Rock or White Leghorn who is trying to make the best