 Jim Steinmeyer, a noted illusion designer who has written well-regarded books on the history of magic, has identified a fashion for female peril as entertainment in the post-First World War period.Steinmeyer has written that P. T. Selbit's stage debut of the "Sawing Through A Woman" illusion in 1921 marked the beginning of a trend for women as the victims of choice for acts simulating danger or torture.While Steinmeyer focuses on stage magic and attributes some of the trend to practical factors, he also points to a broader pattern in entertainment generally, which he links to social trends.