Flappers In The 1920s Essay

When a person hears about the “Roaring Twenties”, flappers are one of the first aspects of the era that first comes to mind. Many flappers embodied similar traits to actress Clara Bow who could be considered the “epitome of flappers”. In several of her films such as Black Oxen and It, Bow flaunts both her flapper style which consisted of bobbed hair, shorter dresses, and showing more skin, but also her “sex appeal” and defiance of being “ladylike” and the typical standards of women at the time. Her personal life was also different from other women as she had several love affairs and revealed her terrible childhood to the public. But why did flappers like Clara Bow have such a huge impact in the 1920s and how do they affect the modern world

now?

Flappers in the 1920s were the result of changes in the industrialization and economic culture and consumerism; flappers helped establish new feminine standards that counter against previous standards followed before World War 1 and embodied the current social changes during the 1920s.

The background of the flapper era was the poor economic life preceding the Roaring Twenties. In the journal article “The Crisis of 1920 In the United States: A Quantitative Survey” by economist Warren M. Persons, he mentions how the American industries such as the war and railroad industry and the American government being involved in foreign trade were already struggling with the high demand and people were already predicting the collapse of these industries. But in 1920, there was a crisis in the agriculture industry despite prospering during the recent war. One aspect of this crisis involved bank failures as David C. Wheelock highlights in his article “Regulation and Bank Failures: New Evidence from the Agricultural Collapse of the 1920s”.

Before the 1920s, agricultural areas like Kansas were flourishing economically because of World War 1 and the high demand for farm goods. Therefore, the farm land had high value which was financed by money loaned from banks, but after a sharp decline of the commodity price of farm goods, many farmers fell into debt and could not pay back their loans. Along with other commodity prices varying significantly with farm products, such as textile and building materials. This difference in commodities comes from “long-time change, which means that a single commodity is becoming cheaper or dearer during a number of years” and “fluctuation accompanying the business cycle, that is, low prices for most commodities in times of depression, and high prices in times of prosperity” (8) according to Persons. The availability of credit at low money rates and the volume of manufacturing output less than current consumption and a fair amount of foreign trade resulted in an increase in business activity and an upward movement of commodity prices in 1922.
Another aspect that influenced the flapper phenomenon was the American fascination with business. In the article “Big Ideas From Big Business: Try Them Out for Yourself!” written by pro-business writer Edward Earle Purinton, he implies that business ideals are equivalent to American ideals and that big corporations set the best example for how America should be and that all Americans should be involved in business and become their own boss. There were no limitations for the success one could achieve and could make a name for themselves through their own means. Purinton glorified the idea of business as he describes it as “the finest game”, “the soundest science”, “the truest art”, and much more (144). Purinton also portrayed the businessman as a hero for America, as he states in this passage:
“The future work of the businessman is to teach the teacher, preach to the preacher, admonish the parent, advise the doctor, justify the lawyer, superintend the statesman, fructify the farmer, harness the dreamer, and reform the reformer. Do all these needy persons wish to have these many kind things done to them by the businessman? Alas, no. They rather look down upon him, or askance at him, regarding him as a mental and social
inferior - unless he has money or fame enough to tilt their glance upward” (145).

Businessmen were seen as righteous men and were as popular as current day celebrities. The idea that anyone could become independent carried over to the flappers. Women became less worried about being a good housewife or finding a good husband, and became more concerned with herself and her happiness.
Another influencer of the flappers was the automobile industry because of what women were offered by automobiles being produced.

In the article “A Symbol of Modernity: Attitudes Toward the Automobile in Southern Cities in the 1920s” by Blaine A. Brownell, he explains how the automobile was an important aspect of the 1920s culture and dwells upon the relationship with flappers and automobiles. The automobile became one of the most talked about technological innovations of the time as normal citizens could travel farther and faster whether they were from rural areas or urban cities, and many people began to buy automobiles as car ownership grew exponentially from nine million in 1920 to twenty-three million in 1929 (Brownell). It became a staple of the 1920s along with the flapper. The automobile also allowed flappers and other civilians to travel more freely to places like speakeasies and other parties. Women were no longer bound to their homes or restricted by traveling distances, as car ownership became extremely common. There was also some sexual connotations that the flapper associated with automobiles, as Brownwell highlights in this

section:
“Moral questions raised about the automobile and other new innovations, especially motion pictures, were for the most part concerned with the
interrelated issues of changing sexual mores, the "degeneration" of American
youth and the decline of the tightly knit family. The youthful "flapper"
of the 1920s was portrayed by the Memphis Commercial-Appeal as a young
female "who does not fear to take 'joy rides' with any man who will invite
her."
The flapper was flamboyant with her sexuality and broke the standard of the traditionally more modest behavior of women before the Roaring Twenties. This behavior is what contributed to the mindset of the era which was heavily based on consumerism and the “mass culture” where all Americans took place in the consumer market such as the automobile industry.
Overall, flappers came about due to the industrialization, economic culture and consumerism and helped establish new feminine standards and embodied the current social changes during the 1920s. Flapper culture definitely has stuck in the modern world today, as women’s fashion still has elements of the iconic flapper style such as shorter dresses and short hair. Modern day women are also more sexualized in media and more expressive sexually whereas during the pre-1920s, this type of advertisement would be unheard of. Women today are more independent as well, as more women pursue careers instead of finding a husband right away. Flappers have had a substantial impact on history, and their influences will continue to live on.