The Example Set by Flappers of the 1920's

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A Flapper is “a young woman in the 1920s who dressed and behaved in a way that was considered very modern” (Merriam-Webster). There was many opinions on how young women should act in the 1920s, but the ladies listened to the voices in their head. They set an example for the future women to dress and act the way they want, men could no longer tell women how to dress and act. The new era of young women opened many doors for all females.
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...

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... They provided the accepting of women to do want they want including: dressing to their own style, living on their own, acting the way they want and working for any job they want. Flappers may have caused issues in the past, but without these ladies women would still be stuck in the past with long clothes, household jobs, taking care of children and sexist views from men.

Works Cited

Fabulous, Jennifer. "Zelda Fitzgerald: The First Flapper." Web log post. I Know, Right? N.p., 15 Nov. 2011. Web. 27 Dec. 2013.
"Flappers." Flappers [ushistory.org]. U.S. History Online Textbook, 2013. Web. 26 Dec. 2013.
"Flapper." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 29 Dec. 2013.
"How Did Flappers Start?" Flappers of the 1920's. Weebly, n.d. Web. 27 Dec. 2013.
McNamee, Katilin. "The Importance of Flappers in This Time Period." Flapper Girls. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Dec. 2013.

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