The Oppression Of Women In The 1920's

Before the Flapper Girl there was a more traditional women, the Gibson Girl who were seen as fragile ladies who relied on men to care for them. They often used corsets to obtain a hourglass

The 1920’s which was also called the Roaring Twenties was a era of economic prosperity and dramatic social change. The 19 amendment that was ratified on August 1920 gave the right of women to vote and the impact of World War I resulted in women questioning traditional morals and values, becoming rebellious. When men left for the war it caused women to have new jobs such as working in factories. Also, “the number of women attending college rose to 10% of the population by the end of the 1920's." Due to women having the opportunity to have jobs and go to college women became more mobile. The corset limited women to be mobile in this era which caused the production of coresets to quickly decline. Less women wearing corset made their figure to be more boyish and straight. The women of this era was called the Flappers, free spirited women, representing the new change of how women looked. The Flappers “lacked hips, breasts, and a defined waist”. They would dress in dresses above their knee and ankle showing more legs and having bare arms. They would also stray away from having long hair and cut their hair into a bob to symbolize freedom and independency. As a reason of women questioning traditional values they began to drink, smoke and be more sexual in this era. The 1920’s was also the age of Jazz which influenced women to go out and dance and women having more flamboyant and exuberant moves. In the 1920’s to be equal among men they had to have a figure of men,

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

One important theme of the women of the 1920’s that connects various aspects of the women is their sexuality. The women before those who became empowered in the 1920’s would never open up about their sexuality. The women prior to the 1920’s had an image of modesty and were viewed to be married to only one man. In 1920, the women began to express their sexual desires freely. Singers like Bessie Smith could paint a picture and bring anything to life with just her voice. One example by Bessie Smith “I’m Wild About That Thing”. In this song, Bessie Smith sings of how she loves her man and how happy he makes her. In her lyrics she says “Do it easy honey don’t get

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.

Women in the 1920s started to earn more respect and equality in society, mostly the right to vote. During this time, women had the opportunity to access higher education, minimum wage, better domestic living, and better healthcare. But women are still coming across challenges where they are submissive to men. Fredrick Lewis Allen introduces women as“... the guardians of morality; they were made of finer stuff than men and were expected to act accordingly” (Allen 129). Clearly, women were expected of something, but men were able to do whatever they so please to do whether it would be to hang out late at night at bars, drinking with friends, or being the one to have a house under his name and making his own money. According to Allen,

The 1920's was a period of prosperity and confidence for many Americans. Women who were largely restricted to certain jobs were now granted more opportunities. They besieged the offices of publishers and advertisers; they sold antiques, sold real estate, opened smart little shops, and finally invaded the department store

The production, transportation, and selling of alcohol were banned since the alcohol caused a lot of crime and other social problems. The religion groups were especially strong against alcohol, because their thesis was “drinking is a sin”. This time period recorded the largest wave of immigrants who opposed to the religion groups. These immigrants usually considered the drinking of alcohol as a “natural part of socializing” (Danzer et al, 436). Nevertheless the issue was that the law was unenforceable. In addition, many people were not in harmony with this law and they did not want to give up their entertainment. Consequently the saloons and bars were transported to the underground where liquor had been obtained illegally. These places were called Speakeasies. The Speakeasies were a place where parties and dancing evenings still continued. The other way alcohol was obtained was through Bootleggers who smuggled alcohol in the legs of boots. The giant change in the 1920s was prohibition which forced to stop people from drinking liquor which was not possible to

During World War 1, the women had the rights to work outside their homes because they took over their husband’s jobs while the men were in the war fighting. They also had their voices heard and had the right to vote because the 19th amendment led to women suffrage. Men were addicted to alcohol and so were women but problems had occurred because of it so a prohibition act was to put. There had been political and economic changes for women in 1920s and the prohibition movement was one of them. The movement of Prohibition was started by and for women because the women were sick and tired of their men coming back home drunk and they start abusing them.

Girls were thought of more acceptable to be in a Speakeasy then they were in past bars. Gangsters like Al Capone smuggled alcohol from Canada and stealing shipments of “medicine” whiskey. Most people actually felt sympathetic for them, especially Al Capone, because they thought of him as an everyday Robin Hood (the Guardian, 2017). They made millions in a matter of months, with public support. Although some states fought harder than others to stay anti prohibition, like Maryland, it became abundantly clear that the taps were staying dry for a while.

The 1920’s was an era of dramatic political and cultural change, where many Americans lived in cities rather than farms. Many inventors came to be noticed as new cars were invented and as music entered the entertainment industry. A new style of music was invented mainly in the African American community, creating the Harlem Renaissance; which was an evolution of music and entertainment in Harlem, New York City. The women of America began to evolve in the 1920s, adding new styles to our fashion industry and changing the way women dress, act, and are portrayed in society for generations. Women were viewed before the 1920’s as innocent housewives, that made little to no money, as they often relied on their husbands’ for income. Women also had little to no rights, such as voting rights, which many women began to protest. Women of the 1920’s through the 1930’s influenced and impacted society by transforming their looks from innocent housewives to a sexually liberated generation of women, increasing the working rate to twenty-five percent by working in factories and the telemarketing business, and participating in the Women’s Suffrage Movement in which they protested for their rights which then influenced the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment.

Crime was everywhere, especially in the “Wild, Wild West,” and alcohol mostly was to blame. In a lot of cases, alcohol was to blame for many of the ladies’ suffering. The Progressive Era answered both issues with 18th and 19th constitutional amendments. The 18th prohibited alcohol and was passed in 1919. Early the following year, the 19th was passed under President Woodrow Wilson, finally allowing women to vote after years and years of fighting for that very right. The ironic thing about both of those constitutional changes was that, first, the 18th was repealed by the 21st amendment, after the Progressive Era, and American could drink alcohol once again. Second, the 19th was actually introduced during the Reconstruction Era, taking nearly 40 years for women to finally have a say in their own lives despite women like Susan B. Anthony and Alice Paul going through much criticism and beatings from their male peers, but in the end women had a major

The 1920s also brought American women increased personal and sexual freedoms. As the United States steadily urbanized—for the first time more than half of all Americans lived in cities—women could escape the yoke of parental control or repressive marriage by moving into

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

When government embraced prohibition, what was taken for granted became lost. Women being submissive towards men, men holding down a secure job, and the economic boom of the Roaring Twenties all came to pass when alcohol was prohibited. Although considered by some an advantage, others saw how women used their newfound freedom as offensive. Flappers an alcohol became and almost indistinguishable couple. Although it gave women a chance to show their knowledge and class, temperance was thrown out the window (Lerner 176). As well as women breaking free, jobs were being broken off, throwing men and women into