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.

The Flapper was the most familiar symbol of the “ROARING TWENTIES”. A Flapper was young women with bobbed hair and wore short skirts, who drank, smoked, had “one night stands” to be more sexually “free” than previous generations, and said things that are termed to be “ unlady like”. When really the young women in the 1920’s where none of these things, though many of them dressed liked that, the flapper had an unmistakable look, Hemlines of dresses rose dramatically to the knee and their hair cut to their shoulders, make-up in large numbers, high heels, and Clara bow. Flappers were northern, urban, single, young, middle class women. By night flappers engaged in the active city nightlife.

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

“Of all the things that flappers don’t like, it is the commonplace” (Critoph). Following World War I, changes in the political and social climate during postwar prosperity--the Volstead Act, prohibiting the production, sale, and possession of alcohol in America (History.com Staff); the 19th Amendment, allowing women to vote (Spivack); and the increased technological development making automobiles more accessible (Cellania), fostered the emergence of the flapper (Hearon). Assertive flappers boldly took a stand to challenge authority after experiencing the freedoms of leaving home and having greater mobility in the workforce (Mowry), earning enough for a disposable income, and prioritizing personal fulfillment (Spivack) by “determining to have both, to try for everything life would offer of love, happiness,

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.

The 1920’s followed World War I. During the war, the United States had suffered very few casualties and its economy did not suffer like other nations had. This enabled it to experienced an economic boom: Higher sales, productivity, and wages, increasing demand for new products for consumers, and greater profits for corporations and businesses. This paved the way for economic developments during the 1920’s, such as buying on margin in the stock market and buying on credit, that caused the economy of the United States to enter a bull market. During this time, a new culture that centered around free expression also formed. This led to developments in art and entertainment like the creation of the symbol of the flapper and the popularization of

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.

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.