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Flappers and what they did
Effect of flappers 1920
Flappers and what they did
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The influence of the 1920’s orbited around the newfound trend of women’s shamelessness. Women began to wander above the boundaries of decency in this time period and soon became a puzzle to the judicious and sane (Nicholas 136). The 1920’s became a debut for Flappers - a famous name for a new woman in the 1920’s - who wore rubber galoshes and were symbolized by short hair (Hoobler 104). The location of parties and events moved from decorous rooms to unsupervised nightclubs and roadhouses that were often left unsupervised (Streissguth 40). The impact of Flappers in the 1920’s changed the way people dressed, changed the ideals and values of women, and changed the way that women were able to influence men. The impact of the 1920’s mainly revolved …show more content…
around the significant subject of fashion. Women started to wear short, low waisted dresses, bobbed hairstyles, cloche hats, vividly colored clothes, and scarves and stockings with bold art patterns (Aldin 3). The attire for sports also went through a significant change; especially for tennis and swimming (Hoobler 4). Suzanne Lenglin wore a short long dress while playing tennis; this was also when all- white clothing became prevalent while playing tennis (Hoobler 4) In 1926, Gertrude Ederle was the first woman to swim the English Channel and she would not have been able to do so if she had not have wore an elastic one piece (Hoobler 4). The 1920’s also came with a new trend of wearing accessories. Women would often be seen wearing rolled down stockings or galoshes, long strands of pearl beads, cigarette holders, headbands, and feather boas (Aldin 3). There were also significant changes in dress during the 1920’s. People began to wear looser fitting clothes and underwear that were the exact opposite of corsets (Aldin 3). Skirts also became shorter - although they were knee length- and also became tighter (Aldin 3). The time period of the 1920’s changed the way people dressed and their few on fashion were lifted to new perspectives. During the 1920’s, the ideals and values of women began to change in both single and married women. The ideals of single women changed because they developed abominous values (Streissguth 5). Kissing, petting, and premarital sex became common which caused the need for birth control to become prevalent (Streissguth 39). Single women also went through series of boyfriends and started to view mating as a social activity rather than for compatibility and love (Streissguth 39). Changes of behavior in married women caused them to neglect their families. Young wifes often sacrificed their roles as wives and mothers because they wanted the cheap thrills and possibilities of having a little fun in their lives (Nicholas 137). Divorce also became a trend and the rate rose 13.4% per marriage (Streissguth 39). The creation of flappers helped women develop a kind of influence on men.
Flappers often influenced men because of how they dressed, how they walked, and how they presented themselves. White men had to deal with some disadvantages because they were no longer a focus point for flappers; they mainly focused on African Americans and immigrant men (NIcholas 106). It also added “One more level of alleged disadvantage for white, working class, and middle classed men already tarnished masculine identity (Nicholas 106). Flappers also had many contributions as to how they could influence the behavior of men in the areas of cosmetics and popular culture. Makeup represented emancipation and modernity which means that women began to express their newfound freedom and ventured in the modern era of fashion (Hoobler 104). Women also started to openly put on makeup in public and the popular lipstick color was red (Hoobler 104). Eyeliner and mascara were also heavily used to purposely avoid the “natural look” and to make their eyes bigger and bolder (Hoobler 104). Popular culture originally centered on the idea of media focused on private lives. Most movies in the 1920’s focused on romance that hinted at sex (Streissguth 40). “Spicy novels and confessional magazines uncovered private lives (Streissguth 40).” Flappers were able to influence men in both good and bad ways by choosing to reestablish white men as the new minority and to introduce the world-wide use of cosmetics and popular
culture in order to get what they wanted. Works Cited Alchin, Linda. “1920s Men's Fashion.” Facts: History, Designers and Pictures of Dresses ***, Siteseen Limited, 9 Jan. 2018, www.american-historama.org/1913-1928-ww1-prohibition-era/1920s-fashion.htm. Hoobler, Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler. "The Flapper." Vanity Rules, Jan. 2000, p. 73. EBSCOhost, proxygsu-heas.galileo.usg.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ndh&AN=8654835&site=eds-live&scope=site. Mackrell, Judith. “When Flappers Ruled the Earth: How Dance Helped Women's Liberation.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 29 Apr. 2013, www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/apr/29/dance-womens-liberation-flappers-1920s. Nicholas, Jane. The Modern Girl : Feminine Modernities, the Body, and Commodities in the 1920S. University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division, 2015. Studies in Gender and History. EBSCOhost, proxygsu-heas.galileo.usg.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=971873&site=eds-live&scope=site. Streissguth, Thomas. The Roaring Twenties: an Eyewitness History. Facts on File, 2001.
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...
Historians have debated over what the word “flapper” really meant. Some people thought the word was derived from the concept of a baby bird that is learning to fly for the first time. The word “flapper” came from the way a the baby bird flapped its wings as it flew from the nest. The women during this era were brave in the sense that they dared to step outside of boundaries that no American woman had stepped before. This change in history could be compared to a baby bird in the sense that the first jump from the nest was a symbol for the risks that women were taking during the 1920s. Furthermore, women ultimately benefitted from the popularization of flappers
Imagine walking in the streets where all other women and girls are dressed in long dresses, look modest, and have long hair with hats. Then, there is a girl with a short skirt and bobbed hair smoking a cigarette. This girl makes a statement and is critically judged by many people for dressing this way. Women during the 1920s were not to look “boyish” in any way, so when short hair and short skirt were introduced, it was seen as shameful. The girls wearing this new style were known as flappers. Their style was introduced in the early 1910s but did not spark until the 1920s. The style was said to be more comfortable, but was not appealing to the more conservative. Before the change of style, most women were dressed modestly; however, women's
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.
Many flappers were working, single, white, middle-class women. They held jobs in the post-World War I era’s booming economy as clerks, telephone operators, and sales people. However, it was these women’s activities once the work day was over that the flapper lifestyle became famous for. These young and vibrant women were determined to have a good time; they frequented jazz clubs and speakeasies (prohibition was in full swing during the flapper’s era). The flapper participated in activities more commonly associated with men at the time, such as smoking and drinking. This exciting nightlife led women to seek for the elimination of double standards in regards to gender; therefore, they began to experiment more in their sexuality than did previous generations.
Early on in the 20s woman began to change both in actions and appearance; they had short hair, had dresses showing ankles,began smoking and drinking in public. There was an uproar, especially from the conservative woman. Up until this time women were portrayed as perfect home makers that only cared for the home, their children and their husbands. But the era changed and with it the style too, the 1920s brought along a new desired fashion, the flapper. Flappers were portrayed as rebellious youth who had short hair, flashy clothes, bold make-up and listened to jazz. While many women of the 1920s were not flappers, the fashion did catch on, therefore the “scanda...
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.
In the 1920's the term flapper referred to a "new breed" of women. They wore short skirts and dresses which were straight and very loose. The arms were left bare and the waistline was dropped to the hips. By 1927 the length of the skirts had rose just below the knee which when they danced would be shown. The chests appeared to look very small and women would tape themselves to look even smaller. Bras were also sold to make them appear very small. Their hairstyles were cut very short and were known as a bob, another popular style that was later introduced was the "Eaton" or "Shingle". These styles had slicked the hair back and covered the ears with curls. Women started wearing "kiss proof" lipstick in shades of red, their eyes were ringed a dark black color, and their skin was powered to look very pale. One of the big things with the flappers were that they smoked cigarettes through long holders and drank alcohol openly in public now. They also started dating freely and danced all night long very provocatively. Jazz music was rising in population and the flappers brought it out even more. Not all women changed into becoming a flapper, yet the little numbers impacted the 1920's in a huge way.
In the 1920’s, the Nineteenth Amendment was passed, which gave women the right to vote. During this decade women became strong and more independent. Women were accomplishing a lot more than they had before. Women started going to college so she could earn her own living. More women started leaving the home and working at a factory or as a secretary. Women were discriminated at the work place. They received lower wages then man did. In the 1920’s, the term flapper was introduced. It was first used in Britain after World War 1. Young women were labeled as flappers who wore makeup shorter skirts. Fl...
woman's body. Flapper was invented to describe a so called new breed.Flapper women wore bobbed hair, short skirts, and they enjoyed listening to jazz music.Flappers also drove cars and smoked, the word flapper is another word for prostitute. Many people disapproved of flappers because they thought they showed too much. Louise Brooks was a fashion icon of the 1920’s, she often wore flappers. “Coco Chanel’s motto was ...
During this time, the young, rebellious, daring women were known as flappers(Ellis, Elizabeth. Esler, Anthony). The rebellious women went to all-night parties and danced to new dances called the Fox Trot, the Waltz, and the American Tango. Women also began holding men’s hands in public without wearing gloves, as was the custom, and smoked in public (history.com). The mothers of the women of this age formed an Anti-Flirt League to act against their daughters’ scandalous actions. Even so, the daughters did not listen and were called the generation of those who “do their own thing.” The people of this time also became much more daring than those of other times. They would have dance parties that lasted until everyone dropped from tiredness, called marathon dances, and they would strap themselves to the wings of planes, flying with the planes until the planes landed. Women would also sit on the top of flag poles for as long as possible (about.com). Many other changes happened during this age and most of those changes h...
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).
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