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Changing roles of women in 1920
Changing roles of women in 1920
Changing roles of women in 1920
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Changing roles of women in 1920
Changing roles of women in 1920
Changing roles of women in 1920
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
A new, modern woman who was self-assured, exuberant, adventurous and sophisticated, the flapper embraced unconventional behavior and represented American’s changing attitudes towards cultural norms, language and dress. impact: the flapper left behind her indelible mark on language, dress and behavior of american women. She was often labeled as bold for her outspoken nature and her use of slang; she was not a woman to be shocked by swearing or to censure the language of others. Flappers were energetic, independent, self-sufficient and sure of themselves and they ushered in a new era of freedom for women. The changing attitudes they inspired increasingly allowed women to enroll in colleges, enter the workforce, participate in politics and generally play a greater role in society and public life.
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.
This new feminist took the form of a narrow woman with bobbed hair, heavy makeup, and an extravagant drinking problem. These revolutionary equalitarians were known as Flappers and began surfacing around the 1920s. Flappers challenged the remaining issues of a woman’s social injustice and disapproved women’s dependence of men. Flappers helped spark the feminist movement because they
The era of 1920s is known for flapper dresses, extravagant lifestyles, and reformation of women. Before this time, women were treated as property and did not have their own voices in politics and their personal lives. With the start of the 20th century, women yearned for a change. They wore shorter dresses, became more reckless, and took control of their lives. F. Scott Fitzgerald was a renowned author during the 1920s who provided commentary about the changes of women.
The flapper represented the “modern woman” in American youth culture in the 1920’s, and was epitomized as an icon of rebellion and modernity. Precocious, young, stubborn, beautiful, sexual, and independent, the flapper image and ideology revolutionized girlhood. The term “flapper” originated in England to describe a girl who flapped and had not yet reached maturity.
Flappers desired to differ from the dull and conservative image of women that was commonplace in the 1920s. They were known for their bobbed hair, short skirts, habit of drinking, smoking, and for their blithe attitude. The flappers redesigned the fashion industry, the makeup world, and the future of women. The flappers abandoned conservative clothes such as corsets, long dresses, and monochromed outfits.
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 1920s was a time for women to grow. To begin with, the nineteenth amendment was ratified, which made women feel “emancipated” to be able to have a political voice (United States). Another thing that changed in women was their willingness to work. During World War I, many women had to work in the workforce to help to limit the shortage of jobs but would not quit after the war due to the fact that they enjoyed their independence socially and economically (United States). Lastly, a largely popular idea of the flapper was created.
Some of the issues and ideas made in the 20s involved changed gender roles and pop culture. During the 1920s, young women called flappers would cut their hair and wear short dresses. Flappers helped show the idea that women can be dependent on their own. The idea of independence also grew as the 19th
Despite this, women were able to make a huge impact on America through social reforms. Many young women went against the beliefs of their parents. Prior to the Roaring Twenties, America was in a Victorian era. Women wore dresses that were floor-length, their hair was long and premarital sex was almost non-existent. During the 1920’s however, some women became what are known as “flappers”.
At the time, women were permitted with the right to vote once the American society had changed its perspective. These particular American women differentiated between other groups of women, such as the Traditionalists and the New Woman. For instance, the New Woman group featured new fashion styles as well as equality and freedom to all. The flappers, for example, were one of the notable fashion trends for women living in the 1920s. On the other hand, traditionalists were concerned about the violations of their family values as well as the routines that women had provided during the time.
The women’s suffrage movement of the 1920s worked to grant women the right to vote nationally , thereby allowing women more political equality. Wanting to ensure the standards and profound quality of the “home”, many women were involved in social advocacy with the end goal to help amend the inadequacies in the changing nineteenth century. Women strived to “improve… the conditions of child workers, the mentally ill, those imprisoned, and the slaves… it was the result of women’s participation
Not only did they obtain the right to vote, but contraception was becoming popularized. Women were becoming more progressive not only with their ideas, but with their fashion as well. They began to lose the drab and conservative clothing of the older times, and began to reach for the new and more revealing clothing. When most people think of the 1920s many think of flappers and how they help revolutionize women to who were are today. “The most familiar symbol of the “Roaring Twenties” is probably the flapper: a young woman with bobbed hair and short skirts who drank, smoked and said what might be
Women could legally vote with the passing of the 19th amendment, giving them more of an idea to be comparably equal to a man. Women of this decade also started to find jobs and create futures for themselves that would not have been imagined a decade earlier. This new found freedom backed with the 19th amendment to have equal rights gave some women the excuse they needed to become as extravagant as they wanted. Women who took advantage of this newfound freedom were given the commonly known title of ‘flappers’ that we are familiar with. According to history.org, “[A flapper is ]a young woman with bobbed hair and short skirts who drank, smoked and said what might be termed “unladylike” things, in addition to being more sexually “free” than previous generations.”
Coco Chanel changed how woman were viewed in the 20th century, she set examples and took a bold leap branching out of the norm, people followed her trends. For example, woman in the 20th century were viewed as pretty little things that couldn’t do anything. Chanel's fashion impacted the role that woman had in the 20th century; it gave woman a place in the community, and they were now being accepted in work society. This shows that Coco Chanel was not afraid to change woman's clothes and to make a statement, Coco Chanel was not afraid to show the world who she really was. Coco Chanel influenced many woman's everyday lives.