‘Sis Must Like You- She’s Wearing Her Big Chest Tonight’, Playboy cartoon 1962

Editor: This is Jack Davis’s 1962 watercolor and ink cartoon for Playboy, titled "Sis Must Like You- She's Wearing Her Big Chest Tonight". It's… striking, to say the least. The figures are so exaggerated, and there’s such a clear gender dynamic being played out. What stands out to you about this piece? Curator: Considering its original context within Playboy, we have to understand this as a commodity, a product created for a specific audience. The overt sexuality is directly linked to its means of production and consumption within that magazine's economy. What materials did Davis employ, and how do these relate to mass production? Editor: It's ink and watercolor, so relatively inexpensive and easily reproduced. He's also clearly using techniques suited for quick turnaround, which is important in magazine publishing. Curator: Exactly. The fast-paced linework, the minimal shading - these choices aren't just aesthetic. They’re indicative of the industrial processes driving the creation of this image. What commentary can be made about the role of labor and its contribution to constructing normative ideas about sexuality? How might the aesthetic, the production of Playboy, be interpreted from a working-class perspective? Editor: That's fascinating; I never considered the production aspect so directly impacting its content. So, it’s not just *what* is being depicted, but *how* it's made that contributes to its meaning and the power dynamics it represents. Curator: Precisely. The seeming flippancy in materials and methods belies the work involved in creating and sustaining these ideologies of consumption and sexuality, mass produced for the male gaze. Consider the implications of deconstructing "high art" values in favor of "low art" labour, which produces social meanings like gender roles and popular culture that impact all parts of our lives. Editor: I'll definitely be thinking about the production process behind images much more critically now! Curator: Excellent, now you're considering the bigger picture. Recognizing these connections fundamentally changes our understanding of not just this cartoon, but how all art objects reflect and shape society.