Why Is Flappers Important In The 1920s

Flapper by Joshua Zeitz is a book that tells an epic story about the American women during the time of the 1920’s. For a better understanding, a flapper would typically be a young girl who blurred the gender roles by taking on a more masculine lifestyle. They wore their hair short, drank and smoked frequently, and explored their sexuality. With this behavior, it didn’t destroy their femininity; it just simply provided the society’s perception of what a woman should and should not be.

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.

It was very popular to be a flapper. That was the cool thing to do and people saw flappers as these New Women. The older women would never "personify a lifestyle condemned by conservatives as undermining morality and religion" especially through the way the acted and dressed.

The Roaring Twenties were a time of wild enjoyment, loud music and booming economy. In 1920, for the first time in American history, more

Frederick Lewis Allen, in his famous chronicle of the 1920s Only Yesterday, contended that women’s “growing independence” had accelerated a “revolution in manners and morals” in American society (95). The 1920s did bring significant changes to the lives of American women. World War I, industrialization, suffrage, urbanization, and birth control increased women’s economic, political, and sexual freedom. However, with these advances came pressure to conform to powerful but contradictory archetypes. Women were expected to be both flapper and wife, sex object and mother. Furthermore, Hollywood and the emerging “science” of advertising increasingly tied conceptions of femininity to

Flappers in the 1920s where the girls and women that dressed less modestly. They also disobeyed the rules that most women and girls followed. They did what others would not ever think of doing in this time period.

The 1920s was a very interesting era. The era of the audacious and daring. There was no other era like this one. The 1920s had the greatest musicians and poets. For example, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Langston Hughes. The 1920s also had the best actresses and models. For example, Josephine Baker, Cecil Beaton, and Dorothy Parker. It was also the era of flappers, where young women expressed discontent with traditional social roles by adopting the appearance and behaviors of men. (The 1920s: Introduction). Music in the 1920s definitely inspired many to be bolder, and inventive. Music helped people express themselves in a frolicsome way. Fashion as well, inspired people to be more original and free-spirited, especially women. Fashion in the 1920s paved the way for women to be more untroubled and blissful. The American personality became exceedingly inventive and

Flappers are known to be women who wear both dresses and hair short. Briefly they are women who rebel against their stereotype. They want equality just the same as the men and yet they do not do anything that could possibly help them achieve that goal.

Not entirely. In order to be a flapper, a woman had to have enough money and free time to play the part. College girls, unmarried girls living at home, and independent office workers most frequently presented themselves as flappers. However, the average woman did wear the fashions made popular by flappers. As often happens, unconventional clothing was gradually integrated into fashion and adopted at all income levels.

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.

What is a flapper? The flapper is one of the most essential parts of the 1920s. They represented a new type of woman. Whether in attitude, attire, or slang. The 1920s flapper demonstrated how women could transform into something that is a part of the modern construction of women’s identity. The flapper was a major part of “The Roaring Twenties”. The flapper was how young women sought to define themselves.

Flappers demonstrated a new modern and independent woman who showed that they were capable of providing for themselves and having their own occupation. Flappers symbolized a “revolution in manners and morals” to an older generation. It gave a new attitude of sexuality toward females because they began smoking, drinking, and talking slang (Flappers1.0). During the 1920’s, women were viewed as the housewife. Men believed that woman should stay home, take care of the house and kids and not have to work. Flappers gave women a new idea that women do not need to rely on a man and can take care of themselves. Even though the Flapper showed a positive image for modern women, she also remained as a soft creature that demurred to men because of her athleticism and adventurous spirit. (Flapper1.0). A woman can be independent but still rely on a man sometimes. The Flapper was first known as a young and daring female chic, but the Flapper came to embody the radically modern spirit of the 1920’s

A Flapper not only wore makeup, shorter dresses, and cut their hair but they voted, danced, drank, and smoked. Their very promiscuous, risky, and carefree lifestyle made them into the modern women (Rosenberg). As women entered the workforce they no longer needed a husband to be financially stable. Driving allowed women a new independence to go wherever they pleased at any time. Women and men became equal in the sense both could vote, smoke, and drink (“Flappers”). A Flapper meant having a rebellious attitude and leaving the common “ladylike” attitude behind ( Rosenberg). Morals from past generations were disregarded. The Flappers lifestyle was roaring.

“The flapper is growing stronger than ever ; she gets wilder all the time ...She is continuously seeking for something due to increased her store of experience. She still is looking for new conventions to break -for a new thrills, for sensations to add zest to life ,and she is growing more and more terrible”, said renowned author F. Scott Fitzgerald when asked to address the flapper phenomenon (Zeitz).Flappers were the epitome of the the twenties, the pushers against social norms , and the young rambunctious women who changed the meaning of what it was to be a woman. This new breed of women challenged the ideal traditional roles set upon them by previous Victorian generations. In Joshua Zeits “Flapper”, through unconservative appearance

The 1920s were known as the "Roaring Twenties", and it was a a great time for change since America was coming out of World War I. The twenties saw new technological inventions, the stock market boom, new automobiles, new sports and many more things. One of the most important part of the twenties was women began to live independently and do whatever they wanted like smoking, wearing comfortable and short clothes, and choosing their own partner. Fashion in the 1920s was significant because women removed themselves from the restrictive fashions of the Victorian era, enjoyed greater freedom with their clothes, and many fashion designers and icons were introduced during the 1920s who were idolized by most women.