The Changing Role Of Flappers In The 1920's

Before flappers came along women were very modest. They were brought up to be "lady-like" and did not even date men unless their parents came along. They would wear clothes that were long and fancy and would cover their bodies head-to-toe, because they were not allowed to even show their ankles. Flappers went against all theses customs. Their irresponsible actions included: around kissing men, dancing on men provocatively, and just not caring about what the rules were. Women had limited freedom in the 1900s until the Flappers came along and changed many things for women through the way they dressed and acted, creating the "New Woman" or the 1920s.

The Roaring Twenties: a time when women broke out of their shells of modesty and were not afraid to bare a little skin or wear a bit of makeup; when women finally gained some control; when jazz music, drinking and partying were what society lived for; when flappers danced the night away. The 1920s was an era of great change in society’s attitude toward many different aspects of life. For instance, what was considered acceptable behavior for women and the way men treated their wives drastically changed. During World War I, women had to take up many responsibilities of the men fighting in war such as earning money for the family, leaving women no choice other than to get a job alongside of single-handedly raising their families. With men

The 1920’s is sometimes referred to as the “Roaring Twenties,” or “The Era of Wonderful Nonsense.” The nonsense this phrase is referring to is the style and boldness of the new kind of rebel: the flapper. In the 1920’s the flappers shocked everyone and set the path for other people who yearned to stand out and be different. The flappers certainly contrasted the generation before them, but that did not happen overnight.

The young flappers could no longer afford their swing lifestyles and expensive makeup. So it was that the Roaring Twenties came to an end taking the lavish lifestyle with it.

Flappers in the 1920s where the girls and women that dressed less modestly. They also disobeyed the rules that most women and girls followed. They did what others would not ever think of doing in this time period.

Although the roaring twenties are usually thought of as a time of universal prosperity, the reality is that unless one was Caucasian and well-to-do, society tended to shun the outliers (women, minorities, etc), propelling them out of political affairs and social scenes. Women rebelled, becoming increasingly promiscuous as the decade wore on. In 1920, it would have been unheard of to show an ankle, sport a bob haircut, or darken one’s eyes with what seemed like paint. By 1928, the younger generation was revealed as socially progressive, engaging in previously unthinkable behavior such as smoking, drinking in bars, and sex. Flappers became prevalent, with their flouncy skirts and short hair adorned with a jeweled headband. The decade earned its second nickname, “The Jazz Age”, from the incredible musical talents that emerged out of Harlem and other areas of the United States, leading to a less “restrained” entertainment.

The Roaring Twenties also know as a new era which was a great time for a revolution.We think of this “New Era” as a freedom for women. Now women were “breaking down the spheres of Victorian values (Zeitz). ” In 1920, the powerful women's rights movement gave the women right to vote after so many years. Now they started to become more independent and had less restriction put into them.This time period gave rise to the flapper girls who smoke, drank, and had sex as they pleased.Many women became rebels, where they started to wear short dresses and tight bathing suits which exposed their skin, and put makeup on. All these actions taken were considered immoral and disrespectful. The early 20th century was a battle between modernism and

As a whole, the 1920’s was a symbol for social rebellion. Prior to the 1920’s, women were conservative in regards to how they dressed; most never showed any ankles or anything scandalous. During this time period, women began to now change. After watching several actresses in theaters act in movies, women began to act like the actresses that they watched. These women, called “Flappers,” drank, smoked, and dressed in what was scandalous back then. Women also rebelled against their traditional domestic roles. Before the 1920’s, women would just pretty much strictly stay at home or work in factories with poor conditions. During World War I though, women stepped up and had to work the higher paying jobs that the men worked, which opened many new doors to women. They now had jobs

During the early 1900’s to the Roaring Twenties, the transition from true woman to new woman was made once women, in general, finally realized that they no longer had to be the property of their husbands and go out and make a life for themselves! It started with the beginning of the Flapper. The first rebellious women of the 1920's to glamorize their wealth, their attractiveness, and the ability to make money. A Flapper is a woman who was "known for their unconventional style and behavior." This paper will explore the transition of true woman to new woman through the eyes of a Roaring Twenties Flapper.

“The turning point , which is what the era after the war was” ( Gale Student Resources). The 1920s was a time where everything was booming , the market was great. For the first time ever many people could afford things the usually never could. Having fun was important to the people of this time , peace was important. This was called the turning point because people no longer wanted to fight. Happiness was valued so many did what they could to keep in especially in a time after a major war.

Flappers wore skirts that flapped when they walked. The clothes they wore were short and tight. The skirts they wore were just above the knee which was extremely short for them. They also usually wore high heels and hats. They changed the social role of women because they changed their appearance. Women in labor forces went up from 23.6% to 27% between the 1920’s and 1930’s. Quarter of women over the age of 16 became part of the workforce in the 1920’s. As the country gave women equal rights, such as gaining the right to vote from the nineteenth amendment, they began to run for positions in office. As women earned more rights, such as gaining the right to own land, they were no longer in the control of their husband and could make decisions

The way everyone presents themselves in the 1920s by dressing as chosen and fashion styles, people show this by each gender having their own style of clothes. One of the roles for a female is flappers who are independent females. At night they dressed up to go out to nightclubs in dresses and high heels and crazy fashion styles. Flappers also changed there hair style to be different and act out such as Jordan Baker said “You’ve dyed your hair since then”(Fitzgerald 43). Jordan had no idea who the girl was because she changed her hair so much that she couldn’t be recognized by the guests at Gatsby's party.. This shows how a flapper style is over the top with not staying the same and changing styles a lot. During the age of the flapper, females

The period from 1920 to 1929 is known by most as the "Roaring Twenties". It is known in that way because it exhibits the outburst of images and sounds that influenced American life in such a powerul way (Faragher 602). One of the most abiding images during this time was the flapper. The name " flapper", was first used after World War I in Great Britain. It was used to represent young girls who had not entered womenhood yet (Rosenberg). The flapper was a girl who was depicted on screens, books, and magazines ( Faragher 607). These young girls were portrayed as sexually aggresive girls with clothes that made their image stand out. For example they wore bobbed hair, red cheeks, and short dresses and skirts. Everything they wore was lightened

As the war came to a close, the Roaring Twenties made its way into America. This time period brought many changes that were new to Americans. Fashion changed from the traditional Gibson Girl to the controversial flappers (Rosenberg). The Gibson Girl was a fashion trend popular before World War I. Women who supported the

The Roaring Twenties is shown as such a fun time to be in, but how did culture go through such a dramatic change? The biggest thing for women that came out of this culture change was the lifestyle of a flapper or “Modern Girl”. Fitzgerald was thought of as “…the writer who, more than any other, identified, delineated, and popularized the female representative of that era, the flapper” (Prigozy 143), so its very fitting to be looking at one of his works. Looking at his short story “Bernice Bobs Her Hair”, we can see what it was probably like to be a women during this confusing time of major culture changes.