Prior to the 1920’s, societal rules governing women’s fashion, decorum and level of participation were restrictive and rigid. Many of the population would compare women to “slaves or “servants” before the Roaring 20’s. In the 1920’s, there was a group of women who were determined to take control over their own lives, these women were known as the “Flappers”. These women got their name as the “Flappers” because they began wearing skirts of all different lengths, getting their hair cut short and engaging in activities considered to be for men only. The women of this age were not approved by society as they started doing what they enjoyed most. Dictionary.com describes a flapper as, a young women, especially one who, during the 1920s, behaved …show more content…
Women were to listen to their husbands and were to never disrespect or disobey them. Women were to wear little to no makeup to show off their natural face and skin tone. If they were to wear makeup for any specific reason, they were to make sure that it was almost unnoticeable. The “perfect” women was expected to be tall and thin and have curves in all the correct places. They were to wear long skirts and tight blouses; the sight of even an ankle was thought of to be quite sexual for a women of the 1920’s. Women were expected to be independent and confident but had to understand their places in society. At this time in history, women were allowed to seek their own husband and were even able to attend college but, they had to understand they had no involvement in politics or protests.
Before World War I, women were to stay home to cook, take care of children and clean. Women could not have any jobs and even though they took care of the house, they could hold no strong role in the family. Men were the only ones to have jobs and make the political decisions. Women were considered the means property and if the women thought of getting a job, it was a dishonor to the family. Voting was thought of as a decision for only men meaning. Women had a much greater role in society than they were given credit for. While the man was at work the women was at home, tending to the children’s every need and being sure the house was clean.
It
The Flapper lifestyle began during World War One when women began to take the places of the men who were at war. Women started entering the workforce during the war and did not want to give up their new found freedom after the war (Cellania). Once the war ended Women of the 1920s were left without a generation of men thus the beginning of dating. Courtship did not seem to be as beneficial as it was for past generations. Women felt as if dating would keep them from wasting their lives away (“Flapper Lifestyle”). Past generations morals became history. Cars, parties, and dancing became expressions of women newfound independence. The nightlife of flappers began to blossom. Jazz clubs and vaudeville shows were a common destinations (“Flappers”).
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.
Flappers were a new revolutionary type of woman that came about in the early 1920s. Daughters of women that fought for suffrage and equal rights, they had no interest in politics, and even less in the issue of ´social norms´. Girls from well of families drank alcohol, smoked cigarettes, and took part in ´petting parties´. They cut their hair in bobs and wore short skirts that went up above the knee, Which at the time was socially unacceptable. Many people were appalled by the ways of the flapper, some even taking the case of immodesty to court. But the flapper movement would not be stopped, and would pave the way for the modern woman.
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 1920s was a decade of great social change and political conflicts. The roles of women have changed profoundly since the 1920s. During the time of World War 1, many women took the place of the males in factories, hospitals, and any other place men worked. When men returned from the war, women felt they should be entitled to the same rights as men, such as voting. This caused a great debate but in August of 1920, this all changed; the 19th amendment was added to the Constitution, giving women the right to vote. Women felt they were almost as superior as men once they were able to vote. As a result, women felt they could do as they pleased. This is where the term
A flapper was a fashionable young women who wore short skirts, bobbed their hair, and listened to jazz. During the 1920s the social norms for women fashion was to wear long modest dresses and long hair. Women also got the right to vote when the 19th amendment was ratified. This was a time of newfound independence for women. many women had taken on new jobs during World War I and weren't ready to give up their independence.
A flapper was a modern woman of the 1920’s with bobbed hair, short skirts, and dramatic make-up. (sparknotes.com) The flapper was also used to represent a new type of young woman. It represented a woman that was bold, rebellious, and energetic. Only a small percentage of American women were flappers. The image of the flapper had a huge impact on the rest of the nation’s fashion and behavior. Most women began to cut their hair short. It was called bobbing. Many parents wouldn’t allow it. To the older generation, it seemed taboo to have short hair. Some of the daughters of these people felt old-fashioned for not having their hair cut short. (Hakim, 42) Before the twenties, it was rare for a woman’s ankle to be glimpsed upon beneath long skirts. Yet, during the ’20’s, the ankles were highly visible as the hemlines for women’s skirts rapidly went up and up, as
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.
Have you ever wondered how women became who they are today? Or maybe you’re wondering how did they do it? Well i’ll tell you how it all started with the 19th Amendment to the roles they played during the 1920’s then from there it lead to the fashion of what we call Flappers and then after the of the flappers stage it then lead to the new culture of the 1920’s.
At the start of the 1920s, a new woman emerged. She drank, danced, smoked, and took risks. She didn’t hide her legs behind thick stockings, and she put on as much makeup as she desired. Her voice was loud, her personality anything but conservative. She was known as a flapper. These woman were known for many reasons; such as, their social influence, their behavior, and the way they dressed, but how did they fill these categories?
In the 1920s, a new woman was born. These women were called Flappers. Flappers were women who cut their hair short, wore short dresses, smoke, drank, and went to parties. These women basically did anything men did. They were willing to take risks. The ideal flapper was described as “lovely, expensive and about nineteen.” Flappers would go out with a man by her side to look after them all night. The older generation were angered by these women because many young girls saw these so called flappers as role models with their suggestive clothing and attitudes.
Women were seen as domestic servants and did not have a say in decisions. This is contrary to the Roaring Twenties, where many women began changing norms that society had set forth by wearing makeup, short dresses, smoking and drinking in public. The norm was to cover up the body, perform domestic work, remain abstinence, and follow what the man said. These women became known as flappers. However, the stereotypical housewife emerged in the 50s where she is to speak in a low voice to not disturb her husband, tend to children, and know her place.
The “New Woman” became popular in the late nineteenth century and described women who were not afraid to be rebellious and defy the standards placed on them by society. Women found more work outside of the home in factories and many also went to college. The clothing transformed and was seen as less “modest” in the eyes of society. Women also began to “bob” their hair in an effort to send a message to society, since short hair was so uncommon. Through these small changes, gender roles were challenged that led to even bigger advancements for women like the nineteenth amendment that gave women the right to vote.
The young women however were having none of it and continued to defy social expectations by wearing short and revealing dresses, becoming bolder and striving for independence. These women were known as flappers do to their energy and flapping dresses and these types of women were here to stay. A magazine article from the 1920’s states, “The flapper movement is not a craze, but something that will stay.” (doc 3). This expert from the article shows that many recognized the flappers as being more than a trend,
According to the article Flappers and the New Feminism the feminist movement in the twenties shifted its focus from political equality to social equality. The women in this movement were called flappers and they would go out into the city to get the kind of social life that men in that time would've also had. They soon made what was unacceptable, acceptable for the women of the twenties. These women changed how they viewed themselves, but also how society and major social groups views them.