Life, 1929-01-25 · page 13 of 36
Life — January 25, 1929 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes changing attitudes about romantic love and marriage in the 1920s. The dialogue between "She" and "He" mocks the era's emerging psychological and pseudo-scientific theories about attraction and compatibility. The satire targets: 1. **Modern dating discourse**: The characters debate whether love is "instantaneous" or develops gradually, reflecting contemporary debates about romantic compatibility. 2. **"Foul-looking" intellectuals**: She dismisses the notion that brilliant minds necessarily attract, suggesting attractive people with "good minds" are rare—mocking both physical elitism and intellectual pretension. 3. **Marriage skepticism**: Their discussion of whether one can "really" know someone before marriage reflects 1920s anxieties about modern courtship breaking from tradition. The cartoon illustrates fashionable 1920s figures, suggesting this satirizes how modern, urbane society discusses love through pseudo-philosophical frameworks rather than sentiment.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“Just look at the length of her skirt.” “Yes, she’s pos-i-tive-ly indecent!” “Before You Can Fall in Love—” Sue: Have you ever been in love? He: No—not really. Sometimes I've thought I was, Snt: So have I, but I never have been really. He: When it’s the real thing I guess you know it. Sue: I s'pose you do, don’t you? He: thing it hits you pretty hard. Sue: I think you must know it in- stantly, sort of, the minute you meet the person, don’t you? He: Well, of course, that’s love at first sight. . Sue: I s'pose it is, isn’t it? But T don’t see how you can fall in love with anybody pe : | unless it is at first sight because I mean when vou know a person awfully well, sort of, I think you see too many faults | in them to ever fall in love with them, do you know what I mean? He: Yeah, that’s a fact! MEET ME AT YOUR NEWSSTAND Yeah—I guess when it’s the real | Sue: But I s’pose it would be fatal to marry somebody you didn’t know and just | sort of fell in Jove with at first sight! He: Well, it might be, I s'pose, but then | it might work out all right. Sue: I s'pose it might, mightn’t it? But, | gosh, I think this ove business is terribly | Vistror: What a love- ly moderne print.” “Yes, isn’t it? It's an Ex-Ray of my hus- band’s appendix.” involved, sort of, do you know what | mean? I mean I think physical ateraction really isn’t the important thing, do you think it és? He: Hell, no! It’s the mental com- panionship, sort of. Sue: Is’ it is, isn’t it? But most people with good minds are so foul-look- ing! I mean these people who have simply fascinating minds usually look like noth- ing human. I mean I know Joads of ter- ribly brilliant youths who repel me phys- ically, sort of, do you know what I mean? He: Well, but some people combine physical attractiveness with intelligence. Sue: I s'pose they do, don’t they? But I mean I never yet met anybody like that who wasn’t married or something! He: Well, you've prob'ly really never thought about marriage seriously, any- ways. Sue: I don't really s’pose I have, have I? I mean I really s'pose you Aave to think about it seriously, sort of, before you can fall in love. Lloyd Mayer. comicbooks.com