The Flappers Of The 1920s

Flappers were not in fact only concerned with standing out and being noticed. They were not simply fashion and image-driven, selfish women, but were strong, self-willed, independent young feminist citizens who were fighting passionately for their right to stable equality amidst a prominently male-driven world. These women pushed aggressively for their social, professional, and sexual freedom which they felt were hard-earned and well overdue. Many flappers wished to pursue positions in careers which would otherwise be deemed unacceptable for the average women of the time. They hoped that by breaking away from social normality's that they could eventually obtain equality in all important aspects of life while hopefully also allowing them entry into many professional fields which would normally be unaccessible to women.

By reinventing the society that they lived in, these girls made an environment suitable for their laid back, rebellious, and ever-evolving nature. Flappers kick-started,with their bare legs and high heels, an era of advancement:

Just one hundred years ago, women in the United States were not allowed to vote. The 19th amendment was not ratified until June 4, 1919. The 19th amendment granted women the right to vote. Women activists had been fighting decades to have such a right. There were many factors that made the 19th amendment possible such as women’s rights organizations, advocates, conventions, and marches. The women’s right movement paved the way to accomplishing the ratification of a female’s right to vote.

It was very popular to be a flapper. That was the cool thing to do and people saw flappers as these New Women. The older women would never "personify a lifestyle condemned by conservatives as undermining morality and religion" especially through the way the acted and dressed.

The right of all citizens of the United States to vote would not be denied by the United States Government or by any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power, by appropriate legislation, to enforce the provisions of this article. (Weatherford 245)

Flapper: Flappers were northern, metropolitan, single, young, middle-class women. Many held steady jobs in the changing American economy. The clerking jobs that formed in the Gilded Age were higher than ever.The number of phone operators increased as phone usage increased. The consumer-oriented economy of the 1920s saw an increasing number of department stores. Women were needed on the sales floor to cope with the most precious customers — other women. But the flapper was not all work and play was involved. By night, flappers engaged in the active city nightlife. They would frequently visit jazz clubs and watch vaudeville shows. Speakeasies were a common destination, as the new woman of the twenties adopted the same attitude as a man. Ironically,

The 19th Amendment was ratified on August 18, 1920. The 19th Amendment provided men and women with equal voting rights. The United States Constitution created in 1789 unattended the subject of suffrage. In the beginning of the 1800s many women suffrage supporters marched, lectured and even practiced civil disobedience to achieve a big change in the constitution. It took decades to accomplish this around 1878 is when the amendment was first introduced in congress.

The 1920s, or better known as the roaring twenties changed the lives of women in America politically, physically and mentally. Women were granted more freedom, the right to vote, changed their physical appearance, and focused on materialistic goals instead of moral values. Before World War I, women would wear a high collar, long straight skirts below the knee and long hair that was tied loosely. The roaring twenties brought along swing dancing and jazz which changed the way women dressed and danced. Not only did the roaring twenties bring along flourishing taste in music, but flappers came into play. Flappers were women who wore short sparkly dresses, cut their hair into a bob, wore heavy make-up, drank alcohol, smoked cigarettes and partied all night.

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.

The 1920s was the era of the Flapper. Young women started to cut their hair, shorten their skirts, so that they could more easily dance the wild, flapping dances of the age (hence the term 'flapper'). They drank and smoked and wore makeup, and went out with boys without a chaperone. They played sports, golf, tennis, and swimming were all very popular. Sunbathing became popular with women for the first time.

Flapper by Joshua Zeitz is a book that tells an epic story about the American women during the time of the 1920’s. For a better understanding, a flapper would typically be a young girl who blurred the gender roles by taking on a more masculine lifestyle. They wore their hair short, drank and smoked frequently, and explored their sexuality. With this behavior, it didn’t destroy their femininity; it just simply provided the society’s perception of what a woman should and should not be.

Before the 1920s, it was seen as common knowledge for women to have no job besides a wife and a mother. But when World War II began, women had no choice but to take over the jobs their husbands, brothers, and fathers left behind. This sparked a lot of women to want to work outside of the home, even after the war was over. This led to a domino effect of liberation for women. There was a new attitude coming to be in women in the United States ("The Changing Role of American Women in the 1920s"). They were now brave enough to do things women were never “supposed” to do before. For example, women began smoking and and drinking in public, they began driving by themselves and started wearing different types of clothing. They wore revealing clothes for style, or dressed in men’s clothes simply for comfort. And lastly, most of the “New Women” idea came from flappers, but when other women who were not flappers saw their new freedom, they followed. If it were not for flappers in the 1020’s who would have stepped up and changed the roles of women in America? (“Flappers”) Flappers inspired what we call “The New Woman” which came about in the 1920’s, and is the starting point for the ongoing fight for women’s equality.

Not only did the flappers affect how they act but how the women dressed as well. Flappers developed women to start to wear short dresses from their shoulder to their knees (Cellania). They began to wear a close-fitted bead cap that was very authentic, if they did not want to wear a cap, they would tie around a satin belt or scarf and make it into a headband (Trasko). Back then the shorter the hair the better. Women cut their hair into what we know is called the “bob”.

Women’s suffrage, or the crusade to achieve the equal right for women to vote and run for political office, was a difficult fight that took activists in the United States almost 100 years to win. On August 26, 1920 the 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States was ratified, declaring all women be empowered with the same rights and responsibilities of citizenship as men, and on Election Day, 1920 millions of women exercised their right to vote for the very first time.

In the age before the Roaring Twenties, women were still repressed and followed a strict dress code. They wore long dress that came down to their toes, waists were cinched and arms and legs were covered. However, in the 1920s, new generation for women begun. Trendy young women in Western area were nicknamed the flapper. Flappers had a whole new style. They had short haircuts called bobbed hair, wore short skirts and wore heavy makeups. “The Flappers' image consisted of drastic - to some, shocking - changes in women's clothing and hair. Nearly every article of clothing was trimmed down and lightened in order to make movement easier.” (Rosenberg) Not only they had a whole new style, but they had whole new attitudes and behaviors too. Flappers drank, smoke, drove, enjoyed jazz music, and had casual sex. They were symbol of women’s freedom and liberation, as well as the symbol of change in women’s life and attitudes towards the “social norms” expected from women.