After World War One, 1920s, women’s status had reinforce because of their contribution during the war. Although, some still viewed them as housewives, women during 1920s did receive better chances on enjoying their freedom. They showed the society that they had the ability on doing men’s work. They experienced more liberation and show more self-reliant no matter on politics and on works. (The Roaring Twenties) The end of World War One brought different status for women, the era was known as the rising of feminism. Women fought for their equal right and unconstrained in their sexuality. The representative group of this feminism was the flappers. Flappers were teenagers and young women, mostly from northern cities, who stand for the new image …show more content…
of individual and outstanding women. They spent their time on seeking fun instead of listening what society wanted them to become. Furthermore, flappers were bold in voicing for themselves, they attended college and workforce, neglecting the role of virtuous, obedient women in the society.
The most well-known figures were Coco Chanel, Lois Long, and Clara Bow. The common ground of these flappers were usually bobbed hair women who wore dresses above their knees, drank and smoke in the public, talked about sex, and danced within jazz music. While socializing, they were aggressive women who were dare to express their thoughts on topics such as society, women’s suffrage and politics. Therefore, flappers were being view as the root of liberalism. (Cellania) On the other hand, with the voices supported flappers, it would always follow voices against. Not everyone in America could accept this innovative social atmosphere. The disapproval over flappers were usually conservative and religious groups …show more content…
from older feminists, Southern states, and churches. The arguments over flappers were because those groups thought flappers were lazy, irresponsible women who had disgraced the role of women by drinking, smoking, and entering parties. Moreover, some older feminists even believed that flappers did not deserve the qualification of women’s right, since they shamed the role of women. (“Flappers.”)(“The New Woman.”) Before women received a higher status in the society, common law eliminated women's right on the court. They did not have jury service, rights to control their own property. Nevertheless, women kept fighting for their suffrage, they put a lot of efforts to strive for the right to vote. (Freeman) Carrie Chapman Catt founded the League of Women Voters to make others fully aware the voting issue. Together, Carrie Chapman Catt and Alice Paul actively attended the suffrage movement. Their goal was to add the Equal Right Amendment into the Constitution. Finally, the nineteen amendment permitted women’s right to vote and to have jury service. (“Alice Paul and the Women's Suffrage Movement.”) After having more power, women were able to improve the society and made public to face squarely on the sexual discrimination. Women had more strength to develop and advance the issue they cared about, such as women's and infant's health care clinics, and birth control, which was promoted by Margaret Sanger. (“The New Woman.”)Birth control directly advocated women’s right and sexual freedom. It pointed out not only men but also women could decide whether to have children or not. The develop of infant’s health care clinics and birth control showed that the role of taking care children was no more women’s job. Women’s job were no more taking care babies and being housewives. In addition, women believed it was the time for men to share the responsibility on motherhood. (“Flappers.”) Accompanied with the privilege to go to college was the right to work. More and more women went to college to receive education. When those educated women graduated, there were more choices for them while choosing a job. The number of working women increased by 25 percent after the Women's Bureau was established in the Department of Labor by Public Law in 1920. (“The Roaring Twenties.”)The bureau promoted the welfare of women fought for higher wages and hope to be treated equally with men, improved their working conditions- usually industries- and advanced the opportunities for profitable employment. As a result, women started to search for better jobs and better working condition. (“An overview 1920-2012.”)For example, more women worked in shops and department stores. Some of them became clerks in office and some had entered show business. A few of the women became scientist, lawyer, or doctor. However, those women usually were forced to remain single. (“Introduction to Women in the Progressive Era.”)(Dumenil) Women no longer had to endure the inequitable life in their marriage. Women used to be forced to get marry in a young age, or have a baby. If married, most of the women were being forbid to keep their own name and had inferior guardianship rights over their children. Yet, women had experiences more liberation in their marriage in 1920s. They were more independent. The married rate had decrease and the divorce rate had increased. They no longer had to bear their husband and live under the bind of marriage’s fetter. (Freeman)(“The Roaring Twenties.”) Although the liberty of women had improved, there were still some inequality in women’s life.
Opposition from many Southern states and the Catholic Church defeated women’s liberty. Contrary to the flappers and new feminist, Southern states and church were more traditional. Southern states and churches both abandoned birth control, which was promoted by women. In Southern states and churches opinion, birth control violated the conventional value and to their God. (“The New Woman.”)Women fought for the equal right with men not only in families’ life but also work. Though the job opportunities increased, most of the women were still required to do the jobs of nurses, secretary, factory workers, or type writer because there were barriers in entering the higher level jobs. There were a big percentage of women receiving less money than men, and suffering from sexual unrighteous. Even though the number of working women increased, the working women were the combination of poor or single. Most of the middle class women were still housewives and not as free as men. (“Introduction to Women in the Progressive Era.”)(“The Roaring
Twenties.”) In conclusion, 1920s was an era which women experienced liberty. There may be some discrimination, but the feminism did increased during this era. The rising of women power brought us a better society. Moreover, the women set up a great model for us, teaching us never give up in a tough condition and always fight for equality. Those women won the right to vote, a better working condition and greater opportunities to enter jobs, and the equal right inside a marriage. They taught us women could make decision for themselves and live independently.
The flapper was the harbinger of radical change in American culture. She was a product of social and political forces that assembled after the First World War. Modernization adjusted the American life. Flapper: A Madcap Story of Sex, Style, Celebrity, and the Women Who Made America Modern by Joshua Zeitz analyzes the people who created the image of the flapper.
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
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
“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. In addition, after the war, women broke all sorts of rules.... ... middle of paper ...
Women’s role in society changed quite a bit during WWI and throughout the 1920s. During the 1910s women were very short or liberty and equality, life was like an endless rulebook. Women were expected to behave modestly and wear long dresses. Long hair was obligatory, however it always had to be up. It was unacceptable for them to smoke and they were expected to always be accompanied by an older woman or a married woman when outing. Women were usually employed with jobs that were usually associated with their genders, such as servants, seamstresses, secretaries and nursing. However during the war, women started becoming employed in different types of jobs such as factory work, replacing the men who had gone to fight in the war in Europe. In the late 1910s The National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) had been fighting for decades to get the vote for women. As women had contributed so much to the war effort, it was difficult to refuse their demands for political equality. As a result, the Nineteenth Amendment to the constitution became law in 19...
War is often followed by change; World War I is no exception. World War I is often labeled the cause for the rise of a feminine revolution-“the flapper”. Before the term “flapper” began to describe the “young independently-minded woman of the early Twenties” (Mowry 173), the definition that is most prominent today, it had a 300-year long history. The young woman of the 1920’s was new and rebellious. In her appearance and demeanor, she broke the social constructs of her society.
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.
From flappers to an ordinary women our society became what it is today. For example, Coco Chanel was an iconic flapper known as the Fashion Queen in the 1920s, she changed fashion by creating looser clothing for women and as a complement she used pearls to maintain an elegant look for women. No only pearls she designed but jewelry made from imitation stones and plastic to accessorize the clothing. Additionally, before that century it was a society full of rules, women were very conservative based on clothing, accessories and makeup. They were the ones that had to accept you. Not only that, upper class woman was seen as a decorative object. Guilat stated that the Hebrew culture was conservative “the jewelry and embroidery that were received as Yemenite-Israel were foreign to the Yemenites themselves, and their reception did not aid the process by which the women were supposed to cross beyond ethnic and
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.
“They were smart and sophisticated, with an air of independence about them, and so casual about their looks and clothes and manners as to be almost slapdash. I don't know if I realized as soon as I began seeing them that they represented the wave of the future, but I do know I was drawn to them. I shared their restlessness, understood their determination to free themselves of the Victorian shackles of the pre-World War I era and find out for themselves what life was all about.” Colleen Moore captured the essence of women in the 1920’s astonishingly. Many women found life tedious, dull, and boring, so they decided to make a change. These women were generally known as “flappers.” Flappers were young women who flouted the everyday standards of women. With their new style, behavior, and political views, it was clear that this was the new age of women.
Though she was interested in social justice (often being of the working or middle class) - her pursuits often fell within the public side of the social sphere as opposed to the political. That is to say, The Flapper was a woman of change through action as opposed to through legislation like her Sister/Mother Suffragette. The Flapper was a girl who, with the advancements of technology, was making strides in breaking tradition from a societal perspective. The Flapper was wearing shorter dresses and bobbed hair (as well makeup), going to work to support herself, living alone, and going out without supervision with members of the opposite sex. All in all, her fight for freedom was more about creating an atmosphere in which she (the Flapper) could greater enjoy things in life- and she fought for this simply by taking it as society began to give the modern woman permissions to do so with the reformation of the day. Which is to say, The Flapper saw an opportunity and she took it. World War I gave her permission to wear less to support patriotism- as well as give her the chance to demonstrate her ability to work, while modern convenience gave her a mode by which to leave home and live with greater ease through advancements like the car and credit payments. Indeed, the Flapper took these new liberties and conveniences that had been granted to her, and she never gave them back- though with some scorn from
Before the 1920's, life for women was very different. Women were unable to enjoy the privileges that men had and they were looked down upon and known merely as domestic workers. Now, during the 20's, life for women changed drastically. With new technology and appliances being created, women were left with a lot of free time to spare. They began seeking personal pleasure and expressing their individual and sexual freedom. Many took on the title as a "flapper;" dressing provocatively, smoking and drinking in public, and practicing birth control methods. Even better, on August 26th, 1920, Amendment 19 was passed giving women the right to vote. The 1920's truly allowed women to be looked at like human beings, rather than slaves to men like they had been in the past.
Women spent majority of their day ironing, washing clothes, baking, sewing clothes and raising their children (page 17). Religion also added to women’s lesser status (page 18). Religion was at the core life of Americans, female submission was decreed to be part of God’s order (page 18). Lucretia Mott soon pointed out that many scriptures celebrated female strength and independence (page 18). As a young girl Elizabeth Cady Stanton learned about laws that limited rights of wives and as an adult found ways to reform marriage and divorce laws (page 23). Things were looking up for women, by 1850 female wage workers made up nearly a quarter of the manufacturing labor work force (page 30). Women were still excluded from occupations such as the military, ministry, law, medicine and jobs felt inappropriate for women (page 32). During this antebellum period women were starting to rise up and realize they deserved to have the same rights and privileges men received. This gave women hope that things could change. By the second quarter of the 19th century few positive changes for women pushed Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Susan B Anthony, Lucy Stone and others to challenge injustices and reform efforts (page
After World War One the life style in America changed, this time was known as the Roaring Twenties. During the Roaring Twenties women evolved, in this time it became more acceptable for them to smoke and drink in public. Women had closer body contact while dancing and they had a much greater participation in the workforce. In the twenties there was a group of young women that became known as flappers. They wore shorter dresses with a straight loose silhouette (Scott). The title flapper also proclaimed the freedom of young women. These women were more rebellious; they smoked cigarettes and drank in public. Smoking and drinking were only just a few of the rebellious things women would do during this time. Flappers rejected moral value and the rules of the Victoria Age. During the Roaring Twenties washing machines, vacuums, and canned food made women’s lives easier. Women also gained careers from many different professions, unlike ever before (Howard; Ellis 522-24).
Women were modeling their lives after popular icons and their peers, rather than their mothers and grandmothers (Carlisle 21).... ... middle of paper ... ... The Flapper created a new emotional culture for women of all ages and races, as well as a new youth identity for herself.