After the Civil War, women were trying to find their place after from the war. The clothing in this time period became more risqué and the invention of the department store changed women’s lives forever. In the Gilded Age, the entertainment industry began to boom, along with the new newspaper industry. Women could see “celebrities” of the time that they admired-to try and emulate their style. The fashion that was worn during this time period helped to make women stronger leaders and the art in this time period influenced the way that women acted in society.
Fashion has always made an impact on women’s culture and in society, in general. The invention of the Department Store revolutionized women camaraderie. It was one of the only spaces for women, where it was exclusively theirs. Every type of women got to enjoy the
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Most women’s husbands were not happy about their wives going to fight for their right to vote, but they did anyway. The song “Let Woman Choose Her Sphere” in Module 2 talks about how the narrator knows the man around her who doesn’t believe in women’s rights. The narrator sings: “I have a neighbor,one of those not very hard to find. I asked him “What of woman’s rights?” He said in tones severe-“My mind on that is all made up, Keep woman in her sphere.” Then the narrator meets a man in tattered garb who “squandered all his cash for drink and starved his wife at home. I asked him “Should not woman vote” and he answered with a sneer-“I’ve taught my wife to know her place, keep woman in her sphere.” At the end of the song, the narrator sings: “I met an earnest, thoughtful man, not many days ago. I asked him: “What of woman’s cause? The answer came sincere-“Her rights are just the same as mine. Let woman choose her sphere.” The last man in the song that the narrator sings is in support of women’s rights and is forging ahead for the ideal feminist
From coast to coast people were reading the exploits of a new type of woman called flapper. Prior to World War 1 Victorian ideals still dictated the behavior of American women and girls. Frederick Lewis Allen describes the traditional role of women. Women were the guardians of morality. They were made of finer stuff than men. They were expected to act accordingly. Young girls must look forward in innocence to a romantic love match which would lead them to the altar and to living happily ever after. Until the right man came along they must allow no male to kiss them. Flappers did the opposite. Flappers danced the Charleston, kissed their boyfriends while they played golf and sat behind the wheels of fast cars. The liberated usually young female disdained the traditions of her mother and grandmother before her. Flappers would smoke and drink alcohol, she cut her hair and wore short dresses. They also changed their views on courtship rituals, marriage, and child rearing. With these they could have the same freedom as men could. The time period also saw a highly physical change in women’s lives like how they dressed and looked. For the first time in American history women could choose to be free from long hair and voluminous clothing. Before the women changed they wore very restrictive clothing consisting of long skirts with layers of petticoats over tightly laced corsets that produced an hourglass figure with wide hips and a narrow waist.
After the Civil War, business and corporations have expanded significantly throughout the United States. During this time period, known as the Gilded Age, many aspects of the United States were influenced by these large corporations. The Gilded Age was given that name after Mark Twain referenced it in one of his works. In the post Civil War period, big businesses governed by corrupt acts and held power of both the political system and the economy.
The first stanza of this poem (or the first of five poems) can be assumed as a metaphor for America’s ongoing struggle for women’s rights. This can already be seen in the first line: “Can-can dancing won’t stop hurting its women.” The can-can
In the late nineteenth century known as the Gilded Age (or the Reconstruction period) and the early twentieth century known as the Progressive era, the nation went through great economic growth and social change. Beginning from the 1870s, there was rapid growth in innovations and big businesses. This could be because there was population growth and when there is population growth, there is a high demand of products and other necessities in order to strive in society. Many immigrants from Europe, mostly from the eastern and southern Europe, and Asia moved to American cities. Additionally, farmers from rural America desired to increase economically in society and since corporations ruled and political problems occurred, they decided to move into the cities. Afterwards, the 1900s started with the dominance of progressivism which many Americans tried to improve and solve the problems that were caused or had arisen because of the industrialization of the Gilded Age. It was basically the time when progressives fought for legislations like regulation of big businesses, end of the political corruption, and protection of the rights of the people: the poor, immigrants, workers, and consumers. Thus, between the periods 1870 to 1920, big businesses had arisen and taken control of the political and economic systems through corruption and innovations. In response, American citizens reacted negatively and formed labor unions and political systems to diminish the power that large corporations had in America.
I also think that she has another audience in mind. She is also addressing the city officials, the politicians and the rest of the male population in society. She is addressing the city officials and the politicians because they are the people responsible for the decision making in the implementation of any new changes in the voting rights. She is also addressing the rest of the male population, such as the husbands, the fathers, the brothers, the nephews to stand by the women and support them in gaining their voting right in order to raise and educate a better generation of sons and daughters.
To me, they are portrayed as classy, wearing long dresses, shirts with long sleeves, hats with ribbons, stylish, attractive, slender and fashionable. These women were the foundation of what the style of fashion and beauty was then and sets the basis for style of the modern fashion women of today. The similar business practices and ideas to basic concepts of women’s fashion was important during the Gilded Age as they are today. However, the images of men shows the “Arrow Collar” man looking upper class, confident, classy, and elegant, having a bow tie with handkerchief and educated. He resembles as either a lawyer or businessman being successful. What these images and pictures showing of how people dressed during the Gilded Age, these are similar concepts and business practices to the ways businesses market and advertise their products in the 21st century. It seems to me that business practices in clothing, fashion and style have always been an important factor still to this
The decade following the Reconstruction Era in American history is brilliantly and descriptively named; the Gilded Age was coated with superficial prosperity which buried its hardships that laid within its core. The rise of big business grabbed American’s attention---whether it was in a positive or negative notion--- and the United State’s focus on minorities declined. Women in the Gilded Age were continuous victims to inequality in contrast to their male counterparts, and the opportunity to pursue their own economic quickly turned into another element of inequality between the genders. On the other hand, the general working class quickly were slaves to big business and the new factory system. Working conditions and wages were unbearable,
Different documents in the Gilded Age prominently illustrated gender inequality in their portrayal of men and women within society. Many photographs in the time period by Jacob Riis and Lewis Hine did not shed light on a woman’s hardships, but rather undermined their domestic work. Society failed to give women credit for their work at home due to the common misconception that a woman’s work was easier than that of a man’s. Margaret Byington’s article Homestead: The Households of a Mill Town contrastingly gave an accurate portrayal of the distress women faced in their everyday life. The representation of women in the Gilded Age varies significantly between that in the photographs, and their domestic, weak personification, and in Byington’s article, which gives women a more accurate depiction through their domestic duties.
During the Gilded Age, “living conditions in the cities were often deplorable, with thousands of families forced to reside in slums that were breeding grounds for typhoid, smallpox, cholera, tuberculosis, and other diseases that swept through the cities on a regular basis.” (“Industrial Revolution”). Poverty and homelessness was not uncommon at the time. The political corruption at the time did not help with this issue either. Political machines governed cities, exploiting the desperate immigrants and gaining their loyalty to stay in power. Starting life anew was difficult and near impossible. Urban life was deplorable during the Gilded Age as demonstrated by the urban slum life, political corruption and difficult life.
This creates a despair, of hopelessness and of downheartedness. The woman, on multiple occasions, wrote down, “And what can one do?” This lets the reader know that women as a whole were very oppressed in ...
The Gilded Age – Troubled America’s Thin Veil Mark Twain coined the term “Gilded Age”, which was used to describe America’s economic boom, and correlative resurgence of civil unrest after the American Civil War. The word “Gilded” means covered in gold and Twain used this word to satirize America, as he saw the time of post-war prosperity as just a thin layer of gold concealing the economic struggle farmers faced, social tension and mistreatment faced by industrial workers, and political corruption by officials who used their power to line their own pockets. Technological improvements made during the late 1800s greatly improved the quality of life for middle-class Americans, but poorer agricultural workers suffered under new economic conditions.
The Gilded Age made its significance by making its mark towards the immigrants as well as the growth of industry. Increasing the demand for lumber, gold, and silver to be used towards the improvement of transportation. One of the most promising development was the railroad which helped trains move goods from the West to the East. An American author by the name, Mark Twain, was the first who to call the late 19th century the ‘Gilded Age.’
The investigation assesses the significance of women during the 1920s and what they were supposed to represent represent changed during this time period. It will address the way women began to act and their role in society. The main time period that will be addressed is during what was considered the ‘Roaring Twenties’ and how it later on impacted the role of women in the United States. The main focal point of this investigation is based in New York, rather than any states out west, due to the fact that these were some of the wealthiest people at the time therefore the women had more of an opportunity to act against the idea of how a woman should act and present herself. This will be looked at with two sides: for women to act the way they were
The year 1890 promptly ushered in a new era of women’s rights in the United States. Dubbed "The Gilded Age" by literary legend Mark Twain, the period featured a momentous cultural shift in American culture that arguably crafted the foundations of contemporary society. The metaphorical death of the subservient, prim Victorian woman made plenty of room for trailblazers like the innovative "New Woman." As days of corsets and excessive childbirth grew distant, the Gilded Age offered plenty of room for discussions focused on female issues regarding sexuality, health, education, and discriminatory laws.
During this time, which was in the 1900’s, woman became independent and had more freedom. After the war, fashion came back. This new fashion was a form of a loose, shapeless design and corsets were left behind! After this incredible change, new clothing industries were created. For example, Chanel was created and this had a big influence in the fashion industry.