On November 11, 1918 World War I ended. People celebrated by dancing and screaming with joy in the streets. Normally this wouldn’t be a huge controversy; however, the girls at Barnard College in New York danced around with their hands on the hips of each other causing uproar from the traditional communities and inciting the outlandish behavior of women during the 1920s. Thousands of people paraded the streets. Women came running to the roads with their hair pinned up, however, any other day this would be shunned upon because flaunting your neck was considered immoral. Nonetheless, there was still an all-around general feeling of freedom. Homemade confetti was tossed aimlessly into the air without a care in the world. A “cultural revolution” was now in place; this day was known as Armistice Day. Change was in the air and it wasn’t just about the war ending. We were entering the age of a modern society with prosperity and opportunity and nothing would ever be the same. Women were defying the perceptions of the typical female at this time and would be unrecognizable by the end of the decade. During the 1920s, the "flapper" challenged the traditional image of the housewife by creating a rebellious and independent image for women, effectively taking women out of the kitchen and on to the dance floor.
The traditional image of women before the 1920s centered on their roles in the household. They cooked, cleaned, sewed, baked, and carried out many other domestic tasks. Even the media portrayed women’s roles through magazines such as “Good Housekeeping”, which by the very nature of the name is condescending. One editorial title was “Your Daughter and Her Job”, stating that women who didn’t do household tasks were not prepared for the f...
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...ng women to vote, women would hike their hemlines, smoke, and drink. They wanted to be fashionable in every way. Women were becoming more and more self- sufficient and sure of themselves. No one could stop this revolution. Attitudes towards the more scandalous activities were either hated or loved, “young people were determined to enjoy life to the fullest… Their wild social lives centered around parties, nightclubs, and weekend house parties, and their fun loving antics shocked the older generation." The jazz age was about making memories, having fun, and acting as if they didn’t have a care in the world. Women went face to face with reality and strove to become who they wanted to be; they tested the traditional roles of women and eventually made it out to the dance floor- where they felt they belonged. Flappers defined the entire decade and were proud to do so.
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.
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.
“The Pastoralization of Housework” by Jeanne Boydston is a publication that demonstrates women’s roles during the antebellum period. Women during this period began to embrace housework and believed their responsibilities were to maintain the home, and produce contented and healthy families. As things progressed, housework no longer held monetary value, and as a result, womanhood slowly shifted from worker to nurturer. The roles that women once held in the household were slowly diminishing as the economy became more industrialized. Despite the discomfort of men, when women realized they could find decent employment, still maintain their household and have extra income, women began exploring their option.
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.
Flapper girls in the 1920s were women who changed the way they dressed by wearing shorter skirts, changed they way they lived by partying more often, and by taking these actions changed the way women were viewed in America.To some people in the 1920s the opinion they had on flappers was the “Flappers are a disgrace to society because they are lazy pleasure-seekers who are only interested in drinking, partying, and flirting”(Issues and Controversies in American History, 1). Negative opinions formed towards them because changing so drastically in such a short amount of time was threatening to society.
The lives of the young and wild women of the twenties began with a new attitude and a completely different look. The Flapper is “an emancipated young woman who embraced the new fashions and urban attitudes of the day”. Generally, one would cut their long hair down to a short, boy like bob and dye it jet black. Many wore dress that were very bright, flashy, loose fitting, and would not hang past the knee. Close fitting felt hats, many strings of beads, pumps, and skin toned stockings typically completed the look of a flapper. So many young women completely changed their lifestyles in their fight for equality. Smoking cigarettes and drinking immense amounts of alcohol in public became a normal attraction. Too many young girls were speaking openly about sexual activity, as well as other numerous activities that would have ruined their reputations, and lives not too long before. The discussion, of courtship and relationships completely and utterly offended...
During the Roaring Twenties, women changed their actions. The 1920s was an explosion of color and a period of escapism. The young women began to set themselves free. The changing role of women was a result from all the work they did during World War I. The younger generation rejected values and customs of their parents’ generation. The young women no longer wanted to be the guardians of morality, dressing in a modest way and refraining from drinking, dancing, and smoking. They wanted to have the freedom to wear short skirts and ride in cars with their boyfriends. Because of all the deaths of World War I, the new generation felt the need to live freely and enjoy life. Young women and men who returned from the war experienced cultures with different customs and standards.
towards African Americans are presented in number of works of scholars from all types of divers
The 1920’s was the decade that introduce the wild side of the women youth. These young women were often middle-class and held steady jobs, but once the sun went down, their wild side emerged. They were labeled as flappers. These women were trying to break out of the habit of being entrapped in the austere standards given by society. They were young and rebellious, and wished to stray from the fundamental beliefs of how women should act and look like. Their goal was to escape the fate of the “socially silenced women in the Victorian age” (Flappers). F...
Dubbed by Fitzgerald as “the quintessence of what the term ‘flapper’ signifies,” Clara Bow served as the model for all flappers. A flapper was the new woman; attractive, sassy, “worldly-wise, and briefly clad.” The flapper took on an impish and tomboyish, at lead for their time, attitude. They danced on tables, rendering the recklessness of the new youth. But modern women proved to be a danger for the conventionalism of America. They influenced the change on women’s rights, what was considered moral, and what was considered appropriate for women. These issues had previously been for making a timid woman; upon the coming of the modern woman, these issues made for a modernist female.
However, when the war was over, and the men returned to their lives, society reverted back to as it had been not before the 1940s, but well before the 1900s. Women were expected to do nothing but please their husband. Women were not meant to have jobs or worry about anything that was occurrin...
During World War I, many men were drafted away from their families to fight for America. The men left an excess of jobs available for women to take. These jobs were not just an option but also a necessary responsibility to support their family, while their husbands were at war. In the absence of many men, women wore shorter skirts for functionality, learned to drive cars, and cut their hair. It is believed that because of the shortage of qualified men, women became more aggressive towards them, demonstrating behavior of a “Flapper” ("Flappers." Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion”) World War 1 gave women a taste of what it was like to earn a living outside of the house and they liked the independence. When the men came back from the war, women were not so eager to give it up. Also, the war had wiped out a number of males, not only leaving more jobs available for women, but also leaving wives and...
...hanges in women’s attitudes, actions, and morals left a great impact for women to be independent. The Flapper created a new emotional culture for women for all ages and races, as well as a new youth identity for herself. The 1920’s allowed women who never had their own voice to be reborn and to realize their roles in society. The decade will forever live on.