Women In The 1920's

Women Changing the Future
The 1920s were a time of great change in the United States. World War I had just ended and everyone was joyous that it was over. Women had assumed new roles as the men were gone, but as they returned, the women were meant to go back to their old lives. Instead of doing this, they created a new style that came with new attitudes, to celebrate life. Not only did those that survived the war have reason to celebrate, but the survivors of the Spanish Influenza had reason to celebrate life as well. It was at this time that the flapper came about with her hair cut in a bob style, wearing shorter, more revealing dresses, and walking around with a bold new confidence. The flapper soon became a symbol of the changing times

and enthusiasm for the future. Stevenson uses rhetorical devices to describe to her younger female audience how women rebelled against the old styles and celebrated life as their role in society grew in the 1920s, shaping the future for women.
Stevenson uses diction to thoroughly describe the changes that were brought about during the 20s. Through this word choice, she lets the audience know how women went from being soft and kind to outgoing and courageous. She also gives thorough detail of the new outfits and attitudes of these courageous and outgoing women. For example, Stevenson describes the dress a flapper is wearing. “Her dress is the slightest, flimsiest silk, cut low and square-necked, thin straps over her shoulders.”(Stevenson 1). The flappers style shows how women do not want to wear the rigid, uncomfortable outfits they wore before the end of the war. These women want to celebrate life and do what they want before it is too late, by wearing shocking clothing for that time, they set the stage for women in the future. After providing details about the new styles, Stevenson portrays the new attitudes that came with the new style. “Girls, by this time, are shown putting on lipstick in public, confident of their own importance, and displaying a breezy independence of opinion.”(Stevenson 2). The outgoingness of these women show how they do not care what other people think, they only care about what makes them happy. Her independence lets the young female audience know how sure of herself she was, helping these young women understand that it is okay to be themselves. Stevenson’s use of diction shows today's generation of young women how the flapper created her own style to celebrate her life and the way she wanted to live it.
To help her audience of young women understand how life was celebrated in the 1920s, Stevenson uses metaphors to describe how time and opinions did not affect people.

These metaphors make comparisons between the new jobs and personalities to traits commonly found in objects. In one example, Stevenson describes time as being solid while she refers to the future, showing that people are just celebrating at this point in their lives and that in future years they will settle down(1). Stevenson then uses a metaphor to show the audience that people's jobs reflected the carefree happiness they felt in life. “... careers danced upon this foam of confidence.”(Stevenson 1). These people know that these types of jobs will not last forever but they like the feeling of creating their own future instead of being stuck in the same old pattern as generations before. This access to the future created a “froth”(1) that people used to make money and become successful. In addition, Stevenson uses metaphors to describe the boldness of the flapper. “... her way of skating gaily over thin ice.”(Stevenson 2). The flapper shows her boldness by not being worried about what other people think of her. She is not trying to be proper or modest, she is being herself in a way that was considered unacceptable for generations before. Stevensons comparisons help her young female audience know that life does not have to be stressful, it can be celebrated in anything you do, in the way you want to do

it.
Stevenson uses asyndeton to show the audience that the beliefs of the flapper were internalized and used to influence the next generation, allowing them to change the syles of their time. Stevenson describes how the flappers settled down, but before disappearing, they forged a new way of being a woman that, at first, was not approved of. She uses asyndeton to illustrate what happened to the flappers after their trend passed. “Many girls of the mid-twenties, however, grew up, finished school, fell in love, married, all without any whiff of the style...”(Stevenson 2). The carefree celebration of life could not last forever, but as these women matured they brought their new freedom and confidence with them to the next stage of their lives. Asyndeton helps the audience know that the style of the flapper was not about the clothes that they wore, it was about their confidence to create a new way of being a woman. Next, asyndeton was used by N.W. Ayer & Sons in an advertisement that begins by discussing the thoughts of the older generation on the styles and attitudes of the younger generation. “You may consider their manners crude, their ideals vague, their clothes absurd.”(Stevenson 3).While older individuals have been reluctant to the change, young women have created a new way of being whoever they want to be. The older generation does not understand that the women are trying the be themselves, they only look at the clothes and the attitudes to form their opinions, not the reasons behind these changes. This use of asyndeton helps explain to the older generation that it is not about the clothes or the attitudes, it is about women’s independence. Although Stevenson did not write this, she uses this quote to show her audience of young women that disapproval from older adults is not something new. By using asyndeton, Stevenson lets her audience know that rebelling against set style may be disapproved of, but it should not keep you from being who you want to be, that style is with you forever and you should let it free.
The use of rhetorical devices in Stevenson’s writing describes to her audience of present day young women, how the rebellion of young women in the 1920s created a future for her audience that would allow them to be whoever they want to be.

Stevenson also describes the celebration of life that lead to the change of style and attitude. The flapper helped change people’s perception of women, making them see women as strong and capable of getting things done. This helped when men had to leave to go to war once again. Women were given a greater role in the war effort by being hired to work in factories, making supplies to be sent over to the men at war. After gaining the right to vote in 1920, women saw that they could do much more in the fight for equality. Today, women work in the same jobs as men, get the same education and we are looking at the possibility of the first female president. Over the years, many actions have been taken in the fight for women’s equality, many of these actions have worked, and many more will be taken in the future to continue fighting for

equality.