No image from the Gilded Age was more recognizable in American magazines than those created by Charles Dana Gibson, whose so-called "Gibson Girl" became the standard of feminine beauty and independence at the turn of the twentieth century. People who will have their own way. The girl who wanted a small waist is one of Gibson's most memorable satirical commentaries, poking fun at the era's obsession with fashion and the corseted silhouette.

The drawing circulated widely in illustrated periodicals, where its wry humor and sharp social observation were eagerly discussed by readers. In an 1895 issue of Life magazine, a critic remarked on Gibson’s work: "He holds up a mirror to society, and what we see is ourselves, only more so." In this scene, a young woman stands determined before her mirror, arms raised as she laces herself ever tighter into a corset, her waist impossibly narrow and her expression set with resolve. Around her, older relatives—perhaps a mother and aunt—look on with a mixture of concern and resignation, their own figures less constricted, their faces lined with experience.

The exaggerated hourglass shape, a hallmark of the "Gibson Girl," is both a fashion ideal and a target of gentle mockery: Gibson’s fine pen lines stretch the proportions to absurdity, highlighting the lengths to which women would go for beauty. Unlike the more sentimental approach of John Singer Sargent in his portraits of society women, Gibson’s satire is open and direct, using caricature to question the costs of conformity. Like many of Gibson's works, the original drawing for People who will have their own way. The girl who wanted a small waist was likely reproduced in mass-market magazines rather than exhibited in galleries, and its current whereabouts are unknown.

Gibson’s prolific output for publications such as Life and Harper’s Weekly means that many of his drawings survive only as printed images, scattered in archives and private collections. While the precise date and medium of this particular piece remain uncertain, it stands as a testament to Gibson’s enduring influence on American visual culture. Today, the "Gibson Girl" endures as a symbol of both aspiration and satire, her image instantly recognizable even as the original artwork’s fate is lost to time.