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Introduction 1920 fashion
Social effects of World War 1
The impact of 20 s fashion
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The ease and plenty of the 1920s, in the United States, served as a breeding ground for the growing acceptance of risqué attire that has come to dominate female clothing over the past decades. Dress over the past century has shifted from thick full-body gowns, and grand headpieces in the early part of the twentieth century, to a minimalistic and comparatively revealing style of attire. Flappers in the roaring twenties and their rising popularity after World War 1 eventually lead to the growth of acceptance for shorter more exposing clothing that can be seen in the typical clothing of the public today. Prior to the onset of the 1920s, the idea of being fashionable went in tandem with the concept of being acceptable and presentable. Appropriate traditional dress was what separated the popular elite from meager lower-class (Glamourdraze.com). Symbols of wealth such as pale skin, elegant and luxurious outfits, and etiquette signified the pinnacle of beauty for this time period. To maintain such facades of perfection, women forced themselves into corsets and layers of undergarments to create the proper appearance. …show more content…
Following the war, a large amount of the men of the young generation had been killed, meaning the young woman of this generation had less hopes of marriage. With the struggle they endured in the First World War, the women were not willing to go back the traditional life styles observed by previous generations. In reaction to this, the flappers abandoned social norms and adapted a life style of enjoying the time given to them (Rosenberg). The actions of the flappers to abandon previously accepted and expected actions in order to do as they please serves as the stem for disobedience that is still seen in teenagers. This philosophy has continued to prevail in some form, often to lesser extents, in the United States and is often observed by those who wish to move on from the expectations of the
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.
Like most trends, it starts by an icon and others follow their lead. The trend of flappers was started by the famous 1920s icon, Zelda Fitzgerald. Zelda was the daughter of the richest man in the South and she could get away with whatever she wanted. Zelda loved to drink, smoke, spend nights with guys, speak her mind and break society’s unwritten rules on women. American women copied her by wearing short dresses, wore make-up, dancing nontraditional, layering beads over their dresses and partied, “desperate to be as cool” as Zelda (Fabulous “Zelda Fitzgerald: The First Flapper”). The beginning of the flapper era was expectable because most American men went off to war, leaving the women to work in factories, do industrial work, and work like men, so in order for women to relax and have fun, they went to parties and dressed the way they wanted. US History states that “Many held steady jobs in the changing American economy” including “clerking jobs that blossomed…increasing phone usage required more and more operators… women were needed on the sales floor to relate to the most precious customers — other women. But the flapper was not all work and no play. By night, flappers engaged in the active city nightlife. They frequented jazz clubs and vaudeville shows. Speakeasies were a common destination, as...
The flappers that existed in this age set the way for modern feminists. Flappers were being seen as large advocates for movements supporting women’s rights. This was because as well as taking part in specific social activities, they also started to have an effect on the amount of women with jobs because of their engagement in employment. By defying the traditional roles of women in the U.S., flappers inspired many women to get jobs and support themselves, making females a more important part of American society. They were also somewhat active in politics because they supported women’s rights as well as voting. However, flappers were also seen as defying traditional gender stereotypes, and modesty. Donna Bonthuis also stated that by the time she was in high school, girls were allowed to wear pants for casual occasions. The effects that flappers had on women and working were also relevant to Donna’s life. “My mother would usually give me and my sister work to do on the weekends. We mowed the lawn, clipped weeds...We washed dishes. We got a dishwasher when I was a teenager, but it hardly ever worked. It always leaked or shut off.” The fact that teenage girls were being put to hard labor in the years following the 1920s could be attributed to the changes the flappers made in the world of working
Views on the modest vs. flapper style were very different. In Cleve’s article, it explains how the Flappers focus their style around dating and being attractive whereas the modest women would wear very conservative clothes or what the men wanted. The Flapper was seen that it could hurt a woman’s reputation to be dressed in that way but it was also seen as a stand for women’s rights to achieve self-fulfillment. During the modest era women had little to no rights and did whatever the man told her and would run the house. The media was all over the change in society and came out saying how the style was more comfortable compared to the cumbersome and restrictive style before (8). An anonymous person states this about the change in the past, “revealing clothing and visible cosmetics worn by young women were the cause, or at least a consequence, of this new conception of female sexuality” (qtd. in Cleve 2). Another anonymous person states, “They feel that beauty is not incompatible with modesty…” (qtd. in Cleve 1). Flappers believed that they were not seen as pretty when dressing restrictive and they finally wanted to dress for themselves. The style change was seen as a terrible thing for society back then but they would never know what kind of effect it had on the future. Modern day style has been shaped around the Flappers in a way. Nowadays women are always wearing short skirts or somewhat revealing clothing. Women are wearing cosmetics and everyone has a different hairstyle. For the long decade of a different look on style it has completely changed how women are dressed in modern day. In the end, women during 1920s would make a huge impact on style in the
Some people hated this idea of the Flapper and they blamed the war for these women’s new behaviors. After World War I, young women and young girls started to act free and go against their families. “Some people in society blamed the war for triggering this rebellion of youth and they claimed it had upset the balance of the sexes and, in particular, confuse women of their role in society and where they truly belonged” (Grouley 63). Some people hated the idea of the flappers and these women had become. These women, the flappers, in the 1920s felt free after the 19th amendment was passed. “Since the early twentieth century, the sexual habits of these American women had changed in profound ways” (Zeitz 21). Flappers drank, partied, and had romantic evenings with men. All of which were illegal for women. In addition, they were an embarrassment to society and they were able to get away with anything. “Flappers were a disgrace to society because they were lazy-pleasure seekers who were only interested in drinking, partying, and flirting” (Dipalo 1). For instance, Flappers went to clubs, drank, and hung out with men and were too lazy to do anything. Therefore, one consequence of the war was the creation of a new woman and this led to a movement like no other.
... caused uproar in society (although they tended to do so along the way), the Flapper was, and still is, the biggest symbol of the loud and modern youth of the 1920’s. Their blunt personality about the sexual desire their feigned for created a new emotional and sexual culture for women, and new beginnings for both the male and female relationship. Flappers have had a major impact over the decades. They are still influencing women to this day. As they shook the social formation and the traditional female roles, they took pride in showing women across the globe that being submissive could only harm the potentially remarkable female. In other words, the Flapper created a new youth identity but not only in the United States, also in Europe and Russia. The older generation was all well familiar with the “Flaming Youth” and the desire it lead on to be free and at will.
In the 1920s, a new woman was born. She smoked, drank, danced, and voted. She cut her hair, wore make-up, and went to petting parties. She was giddy and took risks. She was a flapper.
During World War I, many men were drafted away from their families to fight for America. The men left an excess of jobs available for women to take. These jobs were not just an option but also a necessary responsibility to support their family, while their husbands were at war. In the absence of many men, women wore shorter skirts for functionality, learned to drive cars, and cut their hair. It is believed that because of the shortage of qualified men, women became more aggressive towards them, demonstrating behavior of a “Flapper” ("Flappers." Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion”) World War 1 gave women a taste of what it was like to earn a living outside of the house and they liked the independence. When the men came back from the war, women were not so eager to give it up. Also, the war had wiped out a number of males, not only leaving more jobs available for women, but also leaving wives and...
Women used to dress very conservatively and strict before the turn of the decade. Clothing consisted of fitted dresses, long skirts, and corsets in lady like manners. Since the 1920’s brought women’s rights along, young women decided that they were not willing to waste away their young lives anymore being held down to the rules; they were going to enjoy life. The younger generations of women were breaking away from their old habits and their fashion statements changed their roles in society completely. Women were modeling their lives after popular icons...
Women of the 1920's Women during the 1920's lifestyle, fashion, and morals were very different than women before the 1920's. Flappers became the new big thing after the 19th amendment was passed. Women's morals were loosened, clothing and haircuts got shorter, and fashion had a huge role in these young women. Women before the 1920's were very different from the women of the Roarin' 20's. Gwen Hoerr Jordan stated that the ladies before the 1920's wore dresses that covered up most of their skin, had pinned up long hair, were very modest, had chaperones and had men make all of their decisions (1).
Many girls, were restricted for years with appearance on how they could dress. In the summer, girls would wear a short, loose dress made of cotton with a cardigan. Adding canvas shoes that a much lighter than hard boots from the Victorian age. In the winter, girls would wear a heavy sailor suit or a serge skirt with a sweater and matching beret on their head. A knitted suit went underneath to hold up long stockings. A little girl's hair was usually cut at home and really short. Most hairstyles would be styled with an adorned ribbon. A boy would wear knee-length trousers year-round. Along with girls clothes get shorter so did the boys. A boy would wear a knitted pull-over and/or a cardigan to school. Along with suits jacket and ties. Now suit jackets were not as restrictive as they were in the past. Adding to what boys wear all year-round, in the summer, boys will add ankle socks with canvas shoes or sandals. In the winter boys will wear heavy knee sock with canvas shoes. During special occasions boys would wear a sailor suit or something make of velvet. Velvet was not as fussy as in a few years before. Many, styles are different from adults and kids. Girls, would not wear flappers, flappers would typically be worn by adult women. Also, girls would not wear lipstick or heal and and revealing clothing like older siblings or family. A typical childhood in the 1920s is supposed to be innocent and fun. Children and
Above all, rich women’s clothing was the most over the top clothing of the Victorian era. Rich women always followed the “unspoken rules of etiquette.” Throughout the 19th century, rich women’s clothing became more and more sexualised; by the same token, fancy dresses “exaggerated the breasts and hips while minimizing the waist.” Distinguishing one’s social class was generally identified by the type of clothing they wore. Rich women’s clothing, in a way, made a statement, “no labor for me” (‘How the Other Half Lived”).
This look was associated with what people would refer to as “flapper style”. This look also brought short haircuts and cigarette-smoking women. Deborah Saville describes this style of clothing as “[w]earing a dress without a brassiere that exposes [a woman’s] arms and back and exotic scarf wrapped around a thickly styled bob…” (Dress 75). Women also preferred loose clothing. For example, “by the 1920s, streamlined women’s fashions favored…fitted bust to midthigh, minimized women’s breasts and hips” (Designing Women 40). This was a normal outfit for a night out with friends or to a party. This outfit was the result of the “Sexual Revolution” that took place during the twenties. Women were fascinated over how free the flapper was. Jazz was also another major part in fashion for the twenties. A great example of jazz fashion was the “Miss Jazz” costume. As stated in the book Twentieth-Century American Fashion, “’Miss Jazz’ was a long thin dress of black and silver geometric shapes worn with a tall hat similar to a wizard’s hat”
Constantly serving as a critical topic of discussion throughout centuries of history, the celebration of women’s rights and the steps taken to achieve this ideal around different regions of the world has set the foundation for the perceptions of females today. In the United States, women’s rights conferences were held as early as the mid-1800s and entirely manifested into a movement in the 1920s when women were officially granted suffrage, or the right to vote in political elections, at a national level. Along with utilizing this newly gained privilege to have their voices be heard in political affairs, women also began to taking steps to be seen in society too, adopting the styles and mannerisms of a flapper – a young, fashionable American
After, the 19th Amendment was passed, women's social status evolved, and then women definitely became hungry with more authority, with the hunger became the momentum of evolution of flapper. Lastly, the flapper appeared right in the 1920s American golden age. During that period of time, the United States already made a huge amount of money from world war one, by selling goods to those European countries in wartime, and the goods were made by women workers that means women had gain some money . So, after woman able to had economic independence, new things started to happen. Moreover, the creative style of appearance bought by flapper had a reform on American woman's social appearance and became the highest fashion during 1920s [Karolina]. By making changes on the long and fully covered up dress style from the 1910s to a 1920 flapper style. During the 1920s, woman's clothing is much shorter than it was, and had more skin exposed. And there was a typical reform brought by the flapper, which stood as a symbol of being a member of the flapper that is a short haircut. This hair style can be represented as showing themselves as a new woman that was no longer following the conventional ideas and this new style was been focused by the media as