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The Wild and Roaring Twenties
The roaring twenties, also known as the Jazz Age or the Golden Twenties, was a time of dramatic social changes, lifestyle changes, and changes in culture that took place in the United States, the United Kingdom, and in Canada. Women began to demand equal rights as the wealth of these nations doubled. Some of the many social changes included the women getting their hair cut short, in a bob-like style, by male barbers. The women also began to wear shorter skirts, as well as skimpy beachwear. The dramatic change in clothes caused some to be arrested for too much exposure of their skin. Many of the women who were involved in this rebellious movement were known as flappers (pbs).
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...
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...the people of the twenties began to open up and reveal their individuality. Overall, people did more things on the edge, seemed to have more fun, and were more adventurous.
Works Cited
“About the 20th century” About. web. 8 Feb 20
Best of history. 2013. Ed tech teacher Inc. web. 8 Feb 2014
Clower Ann. Personal interview. 17 Feb 2014
Ellis, Elizabeth and Anthony Esler. The modern history.2013.book.16 Feb 2014
“History about the twenties.” History. 1996-2014. A&E television network, LLC.web. 8 Feb 2014
“The jazz age " PBS. Web. 12 Feb 2014.< http://www.pbs.org/wghh/amex/monkeytrial/people events/e jazz age.html>
“The jazz age.” 2014. Web. 12 Feb 2014.< http://historylearning site.com.uk/1920s_american.htlm>
“The young generation.” Teenspot. 2014. Web. 12 Feb 2014
“20s.” boundless. 2013. Boundless. Web. 8 Feb 2014
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.
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 did not look “boyish” in any way, so when short hair and short skirts were introduced, it was seen as shameful. The girls wearing this new style are known as flappers.
towards African Americans are presented in number of works of scholars from all types of divers
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.
It is no secret that no matter how much women continue to strive in the workplace, politics, etc., inequality will always persist. Throughout American history, the oppression of women has caused an adverse effect on humanity. Some men believed that embracing women as worthy of equal opportunities was a threat to them, as all the rules would be changing. However, the 1900s witnessed a change in that trend, as women started to fight and stand up for their rights. Women have stood on the frontline of this conflict, but at the end of the day they are only requesting “The power or privilege to which one is justly entitled” So, how did women’s role in society evolve from 1919 to 1941?
The twenties were a time of excitement, World War I had just ended and it was hard for everyone to settle down. After being away from home for such a long time, Coming back and returning to the usual routine seemed too sedate. Young women and men set the stage for an unforgettable party era which was full of new and exciting experience. Some of these new ideas lasted and other and others were just fads that faded or became less popular.
... caused uproar in society (although they tended to do so along the way), the Flapper was, and still is, the biggest symbol of the loud and modern youth of the 1920’s. Their blunt personality about the sexual desire their feigned for created a new emotional and sexual culture for women, and new beginnings for both the male and female relationship. Flappers have had a major impact over the decades. They are still influencing women to this day. As they shook the social formation and the traditional female roles, they took pride in showing women across the globe that being submissive could only harm the potentially remarkable female. In other words, the Flapper created a new youth identity but not only in the United States, also in Europe and Russia. The older generation was all well familiar with the “Flaming Youth” and the desire it lead on to be free and at will.
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...
It was a known as a colorful time, the jazz age and the dollar decade. As World War I (WWI) came to a close many Americans wanted to simply forget about the Europeans and the war and live life to the fullest. Some chose to amuse themselves with soaring stock profits, illegal liquor, short skirts, and what many would look upon as shocking morals. This was a time of dramatic social and economic change. Many people were uncomfortable with this sometimes-racy “mass culture.” The Roaring Twenties was a time filled with youth hosting wild parties. Everything had a feeling of carelessness to it. People from all around the world were doing the same type of things as Americans were. As for the economic change, the total wealth of the U.S. nearly doubled from the year 1920 up until the great crash in 1929. Most African Americans knew this period to be the Harlem Renaissance. Many famous Jazz artists, playwrights, and sculptures came from the Harlem Renaissance. Some of which were Duke Ellington, Langston Hughes and Augustus Savage. Many other discoveries included sports legends, writers and gang life. Some of which were Babe Ruth, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Rudolph Valentino.
As we look around at our women in today’s era, we might ask how did she become so independent, successful, and confidant? Even when I look at my own my mom, she was hired as the first woman to work as a manager at a fortune 500 business, and then created her own business. As well as my friends’ mom, who also has her own business in psychology; accomplishments like these must have originated from somewhere. The answer lies in the 1920’s. A couple years earlier, World War I was waging havoc, killing many men, while allowing women more freedom. The effects of World War I gave birth to the new women, also known as the Flappers, and inspiration for the 19th amendment. The flappers stirred up traditions and launched a new way of living. It soon became very apparent that the new women of the 1920’s helped redefine the social norms of society.
The roaring twenties was often recognized as the era of the flappers. Trendy women were often referred to as a “flapper”. The flapper “became the image that represented the tremendous change in women's lives and attitudes during the 1920s”. This term, flapper, was originated in Great Britain and then ended up becoming a pervasive term around Europe and North America. These women were often young and described as “confident, bold, sexy” females. They tried new diets to achieve a thinness, because “new fashions required slim figures, flat chests, and slim hips.”
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.
Serving as the symbol of a heroine during the Roaring 20s, young women strived to obtain the flapper image while youth culture was on the rise due to urbanization. Although this concept was a highly popularized ideal during this era, it is not entirely clear where the term “flapper” originated from. According to the book The Damned and the Beautiful: American Youth in the 1920s written by Paula Fass, “In Great Britain at the end of the nineteenth century, [a flapper] meant a woman of loose morals, possibly a prostitute.” Reflecting this newfound sense of maturity and sexual independence openly expressed by females who adopted the desired lifestyle of a flapper, women emerged from the restricting societal norms of the early to mid-19th century and engaged in more scandalous activities, such as smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol