The Role Of The Flapper In The 1920s

Introduction

In the scope of the mainstream, in regards to women- The Flapper specifically, the 1920s could be seen as an era of rapid progressivism both socially and politically; I am here to tell you that this is not necessarily the case. While many battles in the 20s were won for women- women’s suffrage was now a constitutional right, women were permitted degrees of greater autonomy by entering the workplace and by living away from home and et cetera- like so many other things in this newly emerging modern era, there was more lying beneath the surface that serves to tell a contrary story. In this paper, we will be focusing on women’s move towards greater liberties and autonomy by looking at the duality of the Flapper (as an icon for the

In taking these looks into the past, we will see not only how the Flapper served as a symbol for female advancement that would persist into the next century, but we will also see in what ways she may have created or fell victim to other modern challenges

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