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The Era of Wonderful Nonsense

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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

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