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. There are many reasons credited as to why flappers started rebelling, but one of the major ones was WWI. The women decided that most of the eligible bachelors were dead or at war, meaning that there were not enough men to go around. When those men had gone off to war, they left their jobs, meaning that someone had to work …show more content…
Some of these things were so improper that women were arrested for smoking in public even though smoking was not illegal. Flappers took every chance they could to make things scandalous. The style of flappers was one of the most controversial things about them. Before the Roaring Twenties, dresses that went above the middle of the calf muscle were unheard of, let alone just-below or just-above the knee. These new dress lengths horrified older generations. Along with the dress, she would wear a “step-in, a single piece of lingerie that took the place of the stiff-boned corset” (Gourley 62). Because of this, the flappers could maneuver more freely. The dresses were not the only reason for this. Another new concept the flappers shocked the world with was short, bobbed hair. Long hair represented elegance and respect, but “flappers had no time for elaborate hairdos” (Fashion . . . through the Ages 1). Many of them would wear their hair in small waves called “marcels,” named after the man who invented them, Marcel Greateau. Sometimes they would pin the hair back with another new invention called a bobby pin, which is still in use today. The shorter hair added to the “boyish look” that the flappers wanted. They would also wear newsboy caps and bras that made their chests look smaller, because big chests were considered ladylike. The flappers liked to believe that they were the complete opposite of ladylike. The center of attention was the desired goal. Everyone
Flappers did not emerge until 1926 (“Skirts only revealed the knee briefly between 1926 and 1928, and this was the only period when evening dresses were short in line with day dress lengths. This was the flapper fashion era.”)
In the time of the 1920s, a group of women decided that they were done being shown around like dolls and given no respect. These women wanted rights and to have independence, and to not constantly have to rely on a man to get the job done. They decided to get and hold onto steady jobs and became single, young, middle class women. These women were called flappers. They were ones who went to jazz clubs, vaudeville shows, and danced the Charleston. You could also find them smoking and drinking just like any other man would. Flappers extinguished any social double standards about women that was out there in that time. The look of that time was one that has stood out in history since it was first worn. Bobbed, shoulder length hair, loads of makeup,
The Flapper This document is about the changing role of women during the 1920s in the United States. This was a period of gender redefinition for women, and this document shows the different roles that women want to have. This document relates to the class lecture due to us discussing the post-effects of women in the US as well as the popular styles during this time period. In class, we learned how women got a lot of jobs to help support the First World War, and this caused women to want to keep working after the war ended.
During the 1920’s many changes were happening with women's lives. With the end of the suffrage, movement women were finally gaining more opportunities in politics and in the workforce. However, majority of the country still held the belief that a women’s role was to stay home and take care of their children. From their occupation to the way they dressed women were forced to a strict lifestyle. Not only were they pressured to stay home but pressured to dress. The Flappers movement changed the traditional belief people held on women, women were breaking barriers by dressing and acting against the norms. Flappers were known for not acting “ladylike”, meaning they would act against the expected behavior. Women were dancing, smoking and drinking, women were taking risks and finally making choices for themselves. Flappers strived to be treated equally as men and would dress how they please, going against the social construct. Women took this movement to show society that they are more than just a housewife. Through the flapper's movement, women were slowly gaining more independence and freedom in society. The Flapper movement pushed for women’s movement and has inspired several
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.
People did not like the flappers dresses. They "emphatically rejected the style beginning in the 1920s because it did not show the curves of the female body." Their dress was a "boxy shape that hung straight from the shoulders and fell in an unbroken line just below the knees." This type of dress "looked best on flat-chested, small-hipped androgyne who has come to typify the freewheeling, emancipated, working 'Mew Woman ' of the world." Women were "no longer constrained by corsets and long skirts, nor by the discomfort and time it took to dress oneself in such styles." Their dresses had a "loose cut and shirt hemline [which] allowed women unprecedented freedom of movement." Their freedom of movement allowed them more room to dance up closely to men and change the thoughts on women. (Makela)
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”.
The flapper had an indisputable look. The long locks of Victorian women fell on the floors of beauty parlors as young women cut their hair to shoulder length. Hemlines of dresses rose fiercely to the knee. The cosmetics industry prospered as women used makeup in large numbers. Flappers constrained their chests and wore high heels. Many women celebrated the age of the flapper as a female “declaration of independence”. Experimentation with new looks, jobs, and lifestyles was incomparable with the woman in the Victorian Age. The flappers chose activities to please themselves, not a father or husband. But critics were quick to elucidate the shortcomings of “flapperism.” The political agenda grasped by the previous generation was largely ignored until the feminist revival of the 1960s. Many wondered if flappers were trying to express themselves or act like men. One thing was certain: Despite the political and social gains or losses, the flappers of the 1920s sure managed to have a good time.
Another area in which women made changes was with their appearance. Women used their attire and style to show an independence, a certain freedom in which they alone had control. Starting with the “Gibson Girl”, women dressed in long, slim dresses, freeing themselves of the poufy petticoats of yore. Women started wearing shorter dresses and shorter hairstyles, leading to “Flapper Jane”. “Women started wearing “less” clothing, shorter dresses, cutting off their hair, and just being more “sensual” than normal”, (Bliven, 1925).
Women “changed the rules”. The Flappers was a new ideal for some women. Many women rejected the model of behavior from the 19th century and tried to
The style and cut of women's clothing during the 1920's changed drastically. Waistlines dropped dramatically while hemlines rose scandalously. Turned-down hose were no longer black, but beige. Rouged knees, bobbed hair, and figureless figures characterized the "radical flappers". These women violated many of the rules dictating appropriate clothing and behavior for women. The
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
A typical flapper had short, bobbed hair, and wore a short baggy skirt with turned down hose and powdered knees. Their dresses often exposed her arms as well as her legs from the knees down. Flappers were thought of by their elders as being a little fast and brazen, since they were no longer confined to home or tradition. However, Flappers did not just symbolize a revolution in fashion and way of life; they more importantly embodied the modern spirit of the Jazz Age—they symbolized, “an age anxious to enjoy itself, anxious to forget the past, anxious to ignore the future”.
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.
Thanks to Coco Chanel, the iconic flapper image most closely associated with the roaring twenties came about. The flapper and flapper image didn’t actually come to be until around 1926 and even then was only in style for about three years. Typical flappers were women who appeared to have a bold attitude and were independent women who didn’t adhere to the previously innocent housewife image. A flapper usually had a bob haircut, a shorter than average dress, a flat chest, wore tons of make-up, drank illegal alcohol, smoked with a long cigarette holder, exposed her limbs and danced the Charleston. This was a drastic change from the typical American housewife to the reckless rebel. The flapper dresses stressed above the knee hemlines and construed straight, sleek shapes. This was the first time in centuries women’s legs were being seen in a garment. (1920s Fashion 1) Flappers loved to jazz up their costume and even their image. Many flappers’ dresses were adorned with jewels and intricate beading. The main object of the flapper image was to appear almost boyish rather than looking feminine. (1920s clothing 1)