The 1920’s was a time of glitz and glam but also secrecy and hiding in plain sight. This was especially true in Harlem where there was an explosion of music, literature and art. In addition to the creative movement, there were a few social movements that were gaining attention. For example, the NAACP, Marcus Garvey and the Back to Africa Movement, and Dubois and the Talented Tenth (CITE). During this time, a lot of the visibility of People of Color, and especially the POC LGBTQ community was in underground environments. Places like, Speakeasies, Buffet Flats and Rent Parties, all served to provide it’s partygoers, with a feeling of anything goes, and be who you want (CITE). Although these parties were places of consumption, people could be themselves and experiment with their sexuality while being entertainment. These habitats were able to get away …show more content…
The policing of women’s bodies and accessibility to self determination is a common theme throughout the readings (but also in the present day). Women have had the unfortunate experiences of being treated like second class citizens, and it is only worse for women of color. In their Blues lyrics, women of color could express how limited their lives were, how they were affected by their circumstances and how they found their strength. For example Clara Smith sang, “Gonna leave this town, cause my man is so unkind” (CITE), is an example of women recognizing their strength and independence. Using lyrics as a means to advocate for the progression of women created a sense of unity, because these singers we not just singing their own experiences, but using them as a way to connect and vocalize common circumstances, “we hear the ‘we’ when they say ‘I’” (CITE). Their work, helped to build communities and to call out what happens within them by pushing the
During the first World War I women were left at home to try and figure out how they were going to care for their families. Their husband, father, and brothers were sent off to war. Many companies around the United States were left with production needs and little to no employees to do the job. In a time period, where women are expected to be confident and independent, they had to also realize they had little to no power in society. They had societal rules that they must stay at home to cook, clean, and care for the children. With the men who were prominent in their lives coming and going from war. These factors caused the birth of a new era. This is the era where women were emerging. Women were changing by being more independent sexually and expressing their emotions through music, poetry, and movies.
The Turbulent Twenties saw a time of change in the United States that allowed oppressed groups to redefine their fight for freedom as well as their place in society. Prominent groups such as the Women Suffragist, African American, and Immigrants had fought for rights and preciously decades and had made great strides by the 1920’s, that still continue to the present day. Yet this decade marked a time for these groups to pass the torch to their younger counterparts who we redefine the fight and their image they displayed to the American public. They would make the controversial choice to discard some of the previous views of those who came before them in the fight for social equality. In their respective strategies to achieve equality from 1920-the
Now in this precise year and day, you may view women as a strong and powerful person but was it always like that? In the 1920s, was the year women finally got the right to vote after all the campaigns made and reforms performed. In all some were still housewives while some felt the need to work in order to provide money for the family or themselves. Not all were married and had a husband to provide for them. Many obstacles had to be faced in order to be where we are today. Females faced inequality with men, but that did not stop them from accomplishing what they desired. Jobs and education in the 1920s were limited to women.
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 period of changes exactly as the Progressive Era. Everything was developing very fast. The economic boom caused a high living standard, therefore, people earned more money and wanted to live a modern life, in view of the fact that, they could afford it, especially in the cities which offered more stores, job opportunities, and saloons and bars for entertainment. People wanted to have fun after World War I, take a rest and just hang out together, for that reason it caused a moral decline, the enormous consumption of alcohol caused a lot of crime and women had a new way of living. The two biggest changes were the rights for women and prohibition.
The economy grew rapidly in the 1920s. The automobile had great impact. Through model changes and advertising, sales were stimulated. New consumer goods such as steel, gasoline, and road construction increased the growth of other businesses. Of all steel output in the 1920s, one seventh was used toward the manufacturing of automobiles. A nationwide search for oil deposits brought workers and money to the Southwest. A numbered highway system supported the rapid appearance of service stations, diners, and motels. As the economy grew, so did technology. The radio brought distant events into millions of homes. The washing machine, vacuum cleaners, and irons made household chores more efficient. With the growing economy, consumer credit allowed
During the 1920s the United States hoped for a “return to normalcy”. World War I had a huge toll and created a number of changes in the society of the nation. Under the mass production, the consumer revolution, and aid of business of the 1920s economy prospered. Women made significant advancement during the decade by gaining suffrage, and changing their roles and image in society. Along with women making advancements African Americans were doing the same, by mixing their culture into society through jazz, and also with the Harlem renaissance the U.S. began to have different views on them. Throughout the single decade after the end of World War I the U.S. experienced significant changes economically, socially, and politically.
Their clothes became less restricted and flowy, giving them much more freedom to move and work. Where women were once expected to have long hair, short hair was now a sign of freedom. Make-up was popular, and more available. Sales boomed thanks to advertising. In the 1920s, women smoked in public and drove cars, which were not acceptable before the war. Women had more leisure time when labour-saving inventions like vacuum cleaners and washing machines decreased their housework. If they had a car, as many did, they were no longer so bound to the home. Overall, household and domestic consumer goods became more common, and these were targeted at
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,
A woman of 1920 would be surprised to know that she would be remembered as a "new woman." Significant changes for women took place in politics, at home, in workplace, and in education.
Let’s take a look at the women’s of the 1920’s, the changes that took place in fashion and the roles of women in society. Women’s fashion will be compared from early days up until the 1930’s, with a brief comparison of the roles of women before and after the 1920’s. A discussion of the different avenues that opened up for women after 1920 and the impact that it has had on modern day women will also be covered within this paper. you need a stronger introduction
Women’s fashion was a social controversy in the 1920’s. This controversy was influenced by women’s clothing, swimwear, hairstyles, makeup, and attitude alone. This attire and new found character traits added a certain attitude and confidence to these women, starting what would eventually be remembered as a revolution.
These pictures represent the “new women” of the 1920`s. One of the many things the 1920`s is known for is the “new women”. The “new woman” was a feminist ideal, where they spent a lot of their time protesting for the right to vote, and be able to have the same jobs as men. The first picture in the collage shows women who are holding a banner that is telling the president that women deserve liberty. It took a lot for the 19th amendment to be ratified, including a lot of protesting to get people's attention. The women of the 20`s wanted social justice and equality.The second picture shows women who are holding another sign that represents the right for women to vote, just like men. Before 1920, when they made it legal for women to vote, activist
From the 1900s until present day many opportunities and movements have opened up to women. Women continuously strived to have equality among men. Now that we have the equality, roles of women and men have changed. One thing that has struck me odd are how women actually choose to go to work than stay home with their children. I would love to say home with them and do a “woman’s job”, but now I can even say that because it could offend someone. Things have changed for the good and some for the bad.
The poem, “A Woman Speaks” by Audre Lorde is a both a confessional and identity poem. She is not only addressing her internal battle and self-suffering, but also discussing the societal inequities African American women were suffering in the United States. The poem’s diction, on the surface, produces a tranquil tone to the poem. This facet of tranquility in the poem is used to express how her battle against inequity will not be fought with violence or hatred, and how she is not blaming any specific party or institution for her personal suffering. She instead plans to use the power and beauty of words to communicate the flaws of the image of women, fight against injustice and racism, and alleviate her internal despair. “A Woman Speaks” by Audre Lorde is an anthem for African American women and uses vivid imagery, ancestral references, and a call to action to connect to the reader and enact a fight against the underrepresentation of African American women.