Flapper Revolution Research Paper

The Flapper Revolution A woman must have freedom to wear and act how she feels- a simple thought that must’ve been missed when amending our constitution. In the workplace, at the home, and in society in general, women are, and always have been, held to a standard of what to wear, how to wear it, and how to portray themselves publicly. They must conform to the ideas of society and live by them, no matter how uncomfortable or disgusting these social rules make them feel. During the roaring twenties a revolution began and women took a stand against the common standards they had been held to. Before the World War I, women were expected to be modest and wear long dresses; after the war they were seen smoking in public wearing skirts that rose

Before World War I the Gibson Girl was the ideal woman. She was classy, had long full hair that could sit in neat curls upon her head, and natural makeup that made her look carefree. Her body was expected to be lengthy and thin with curves that were formed in all the right places by her excessively tight corset. The Gibson Girl was independent and was by no means any form of risque ( “Women”). Gibson women, the ideal ones, were exceptionally lower in society in comparison to men and they seemed to accept that; they left independence on the welcome mat of their homes and sat back as the men continued to dominate society. All they freely practiced was the right to go to college. These women obeyed the means of their family role and were property of the men they were joined in holy matrimony

The free-spirited Flappers flouted convention, cut their hair, listened to jazz and scandalized the older generation. The independent, exuberant and unconventional attitudes of the Flappers challenged the traditional ideas by wearing short skirts, bobbed hairstyles, makeup and cosmetics. Flappers began drinking and smoking in public and became sexually liberated during the 1920's. Most women in the 1920s, not just the young Flappers, abandoned traditional, restrictive women's clothes, such as long dresses and tight corsets, to free themselves of the shackles of the Victorian era. The long hair, traditionally worn by women, was cut into a 'Bob'. These modern, short hairstyles symbolized the independent and modern women of the 1920's. There were several different bob hairstyles including the 'Dutch boy' bob, the 'Marcel wave', the Castle Bob, the Eton Crop and the 'Shingle'