Flappers In the 1920’s, a new woman and following a new era was born. Women were no longer scared to express themselves or to act different. They smoked, drank, and voted. They cut their hair, they’d get all dolled up and do their makeup, and they went to parties.
Introduction: Thesis: The 1920s was an era of dramatic social and political change that brought along the greatest change for women. After World War I, the image of women completely transformed and the changing attitudes of America, allowed them to enroll in colleges, enter the workforce, participate in politics and play a greater role in society and public life. Paragraph I: Before 1920s Paragraph II:
The first thing that comes to mind when I hear of the 1920s are flappers. I picture the women with bobbed hair, shorter flowy dresses exposing skin, galoshes, and cigarettes. Not only did women begin to dress and look a certain way, they began to behave differently as well. Throughout history, women were deemed to be inferior to men, and were treated as such. Society expected women to take on the role of a homemaker.
Lloyd Armbrust reputes that the flappers abandoned the old generation’s unflattering and tight fashion with their flowing dresses with bobbed hair to display their confidence. Flappers would hang their corsets and cut their hair to illustrate how women had the ability to wear what they want and be who they please. They disapproved of the modest dresses women were expected to wear and ridded themselves of the patriarchy’s body shaming notions. Before the 1920s, women were rarely seen in bars and saloons but, as the Prohibition was implemented, Armbrust notes the flappers segregated the bars to drink freely. These women had the ability to defy what society told them and learned that being “selfless” was oppressive.
Joshua Zeitz, an American author and historian writes about, the contemporary woman modernizing the new decade of the twenties. Flappers were the epitome of the twenties, the pushers against social norms, and the young rambunctious women who changed the meaning of what meant to be a woman. Zeitz includes quotes from the inventor of the flapper, F.Scott Fitzgerald “‘The flapper is growing stronger than ever; she gets wilder all the time ... She is continuously seeking for something due to increased her store of experience. She still is looking for new conventions to break -for a new thrills, for sensations to add zest to life, and she is growing more and more terrible’”, (Zeitz 7).
Women were beginning to reject Victorian morality; they wore shorter skirts, put on more makeup, and smoked (document 3). Of course, not all women idolized “flappers”, but they idolized what the flappers represented. Flappers symbolized the change of women’s roles. They were no longer simple housewives who stayed home to take care of their children, they were women who had less children and waited longer to marry in order to pursue their interest. Women, during this time, had also assumed the same political and social rights as men.
Middle-class, white, adolescent girls embraced the symbol of the flapper and the development of change and innovation. It is important to note not all young women embraced the flapper’s rebellious movement and adhered to traditional pre-World War I morals and values. Young women who joined the flapper movement would no longer abide by pre-conceived conventional expectations
Since early ages, mothers have always criticized the ways their daughters acted. In the 1920s criticisms were taken a step further by the flappers, who completely revolutionized the view on females. Flappers in the 1920s had an impact on women for the future. Who they were, what they wore, and what their morals were was how their impacts changed the future for all the females. “The term "flapper" originated in the 1920s and refers to the fashion trend for unfastened rubber galoshes that "flapped" when walking, an attribution reinforced by the image of the free-wheeling flapper in popular culture.”
Flappers “Flappers were northern, urban, single, young, middle-class women” (“Flappers[Ushistory. Org]”). Flappers were a generation of young women in the Roaring Twenties that lived their lives as they pleased. These women broke typical stereotypes of the “Victorian woman” and started a revolution of what a “woman” was and could be. Flappers smoked, drank, danced, cut their hair, stopped wearing corsets, dated, and even could vote.
It was a huge difference from the original “Gibson Girl”, that many were not used to. With their flashy attire, that could not be mistaken, they caught the attention of many, good and bad. The signature Flapper look consisted of knee length dresses, high heels, garters, head pieces, makeup, short hair, and bounded chest. They bounded their chest and cut their hair shorter, so that it was easier for them to go dancing and it wouldn’t get in the way.
The ideal image of women was one of the chief changes that occurred during the 1920s. The extreme lifestyle occurrence allowed the new developing concept of the new woman to diffuse across America. Throughout the 1920s women tested the gender standards set for them. The women that challenged the standard mindset of women the most were known as flappers. Flappers wore short dresses, wore short hairstyles, and also smoke, drank, and spoke their minds.
The flappers were a important part of the world and how it is today. They were the "big" thing woman needed to help gain their equality. They were the complete opposite in how a woman should be. That's what made them so unique. Stand out.
As a result of technological progress and new opportunities for Americans to consume popular culture, the 1920s can be remembered as a period of immense innovation. Despite the fact that more traditional ways of thinking existed such as feelings toward immigrants and religious fundamentalism, to a greater extent, the 1920s were characterized by roles of women and the fight for freedom and equality. Before the 1920s, roles of women were mainly traditional. In general, the duty of a woman included taking care of the children, and the household. In the 1920’s, women just began to rebel against the traditions of the society, starting with becoming Flappers.
The 1920’s was a period of dramatic social and political change. More than half of America lived in cities and fashion was changing like crazy. The most familiar symbol of the “Roaring Twenties” is the flapper: a young woman with bobbed hair and short skirts who drank, and smoked, in addition to being more sexually “free” than previous generations. The world was constantly changing, not even with just prohibition or the American Dream, fashion changed forever.
Throughout the 1920’s, a new era of social culture was emerging in America as it recovered from its involvement in the First World War. Young Americans in the nation's cities rejected social traditions by embracing a modern culture of freedom. America seemed to break its attachments to the recent past and start in a more modern era. Within this era, society was dominated by the desire to express oneself and live lavishly. This new pursuit of freedom displayed within the evolution of teens, the changing roles and morals of women, and an increased obsession with entertainment.
