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Why Is Women's Clothing Important In The 1920s

426 Words2 Pages

However, the 1920s, the time of the Flapper, promoted this very slim, almost boyish body, and the clothes were very straight so that it didn’t show any curves. Both of these photos, as well as other times in history with pictures of the ideal woman’s body can be seen at here.
During the 1920s, early manufacturers and retailers, created, marketed and sold products to a target market, the thin woman. Mass consumption, entered dressmaking through these national women's magazines, and these clothes that were being mass produced to promote new ways of shopping (Fernandez, 2). Before women's clothing started to become mass produced, women's clothes were specifically tailored to their bodies. However, mass produced clothing gave way to a new form …show more content…

However, due to the new sizing of women's clothing woman started to be put in categories, and those that didn't fit this new ideal shape were considered plus-size. “By 1916, over 13 million women, or 12.7% of the total U.S. population, were considered overweight (Keist and Marcketti 1)”. Of course with news like this women became more worried about their appearance. Not only was being plus-sized not as desirable as being thin in fashion, but it also had this new stigma of being unhealthy. Women said that they felt humiliated when they went into stores to shop for new clothes and the women working there would tell them they didn't carry their size, that they were too big (Keist and Marcketti 6). The New York Times and Vogue said that women became overweight due to lack of exercise, laziness, and even the clothes that they wore because if they wore clothes that affected their circulation, it could lead to the production of fat in those areas of their body (Keist and Marcketti 3). I find it interesting that these fashion magazines with no actual education on the subject were telling these women absurd reasons as to why they were bigger than they were supposed to be. But these fashion magazines had a lot of power during this time especially in their advertising and women took what they said to heart and believed

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Women in the 1920s began to explore, and digest the newer trends within both beauty, and fashion; within this, they were able to discover what had suited them as individuals, alongside their worth as human beings. Women within the social structure of society during past time periods were below the value of men, they were appraised as if they were plastic dolls, thrown around in the horrendous ways of the way men had treated them. With this known towards all, women were able to pave the way for

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In the “Inner Corset” by the Laura Fraser described that how the thin ideal developed in the United State from the 1880s to 1920. Fraser’s article has as its purpose how the women’s body were apprise by men and experienced by women and appeals to logos by doctors being thin is very harmful for their body. The “Inner corset” is an except form “Fat and its follies”, “Never satisfied”, “American beauty, “Illness as metaphor”, “The complete Poor Richard almanacks, Vol.1, Imprint society”, and “Fat and fashion”, uses for

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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.

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A flapper had pale skin, bobbed hair, and unfeminine bodies with no breasts or hips. Zeits describes the flapper as a “a sort of teenage girl whose gawky frame and posture were “supposed to need a certain type of clothing – long, straight lines to cover her awkwardness.’” In regards to past history, or even dating a decade before the flappers, the desired body type was “a round soft body gathered together in a small waist” ("See How Much the "Perfect" Female Body Has Changed in 100 Years (It's Crazy!)")Corsets and waist defining looks was the entire craze while in the twenties is a straight A-line type body, with little to no curves and no cleavage in sight. The body of the flapper mirrors a boyish

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As the 18th century was coming to a close, women 's fashion took on some changes. In art and architecture, many things from ancient Greece had become fashionable and this had an effect on fashion too. Skirts became narrower and waists became higher. Gowns had less lace, frills, and ruffles. Some fashions in the early 1800 's made women look much like statues of Greek goddesses!

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Women had to get used to life without their husbands during world war I they explored a more creative side of themselves during this time, being unaware of the controversy that would rise from the ‘new style’. “Not everyone was a fan of women's newfound sexual freedom and consumer ethos, and there was inevitably a public reaction against flappers.”. Before flappers there were Gibson girls which were pictured as very polite and well-dressed women, as the norm changed from a polite and innocent girl to a more rebellious one, not many were accepting of this change. “Utah attempted to pass legislation on the length of women's shirts.

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Prior to the 1920s, society had a very traditional and proper lifestyle, were people maintained a happy home and balanced life. Without the inventions we have today such as televisions, microwaves, ovens, or even washers for our laundry, many time at home was dedicated to cooking and cleaning. Many women were expected to stay at home, do the chores, not voice their opinion, and make life ideal for their husbands. Then, during wars where men were away, women were expected to do work outside the home instead of their usual household chores. At this turning point, women began to recognize their abilities and demand rights as well as break the stereotype that men are more capable than women.

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The 1920’s were a record changing time for women in the United States as they were given the right to vote. This was a new for women as most of them held down jobs for the men during World War 1 when the men returned back they wanted to continue working. This ban on women working when the men returned caused an uproar within society and got women to stand up for themselves to gain further independence. This newfound confidence in women was then shown in their physical appearance as they began to take on an androgynous look. Which involved downplaying their waists and wearing bras that flattened their breasts.

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1920s Fashion The 1920’s was a dynamic influence on men’s and women’s fashion. Moreso the impact woman had on society and how their influence manipulated the fashion of the 1920s. Jazz,World War I, prohibition, the 19th Amendment are just some of the factors that contributed to the dramatic shift in the culture that we still admire today. During this time ‘the fashion landscape shifted like tectonic plates” (“retro”), everyone wanted to be in style and have the newest and glamorous clothes. Designer brands and unique hairstyles is still a lifestyle that we still see in today 's society and is growing.

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In the 1920s fashion was a movement of freedom with flappers, bobbed hairstyles and using art as a fashion statement. “Fashion should be stylish and fun,” (Twiggy). In any decade fashion was a way of saying something. One of the women’s careers was being in the fashion industry.

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The image of the flapper was used in magazines and advertising and lead to the influence of mass consumer culture and media. This new image of the flapper “encouraged both the consumption of new products and new patterns of consumption and provided women with accessible routes to engage with modernity.” Since women started to gain rights such as voting and opportunity to gain jobs, women started to gain a sense of freedom and started to mix in with the new modern world they were entering in. As stated before, technology started to rise, and companies wanted to sell these new products. So, companies started to aim towards women in

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The new women were independent, bright-eyed alert and alive eager to gain new freedom (p.1035). Tradition women wore petticoat and floor length dresses whereas the new women wore skirts that stop at the knee with minimal undergarments. Flappers went to bars and drank publicity, they experiment with premarital sex whereas the traditional womanhood this was unspeakable sex was something that was between a married couples. The new women symbolized the new liberated women of the 1920s. (p.1036) more middle class women attended college in the 1920s than ever before, many women were recruited for jobs that usually held my men.

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The 1900s was completely different from the previous centuries. It witnessed a tremendous change in the ideal female body image, which also changed from one decade to another. In The twentieth century, women started exposing more of their body, like

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Men and women nowadays are starting to lose self-confidence in themselves and their body shape, which is negatively impacting the definition of how beauty and body shape are portrayed. “...97% of all women who had participated in a recent poll by Glamour magazine were self-deprecating about their body image at least once during their lives”(Lin 102). Studies have shown that women who occupy most of their time worrying about body image tend to have an eating disorder and distress which impairs the quality of life. Body image issues have recently started to become a problem in today’s society because of social media, magazines, and television.

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