Flapper In The 1920s

The Roaring Twenties, characterized as a progressive era toward changes and advances, it was a start for freedom and independence for women. Women gained political power by gaining the right to vote. They changed their traditional way to be, way to act and dress to gain respect, and the liberty of independence. Society had different ways of ideals and the ways women were willing to do were disapproved of, and it was wrong for lots of different people, including women from the older generation. In the 1920’s women went through a lot of changes that made them a free spirit, changes that made them what they are now and having the liberty of being independent.

It is no question that the women of modern American society differ greatly from the women of preceding generations. Until the passage of the 19th amendment, women were not considered equals by the standards of the United States government, and social controversy continued long after. A large contributor to the progression in the area of women’s equality was a group of liberated and notorious women known as Flappers. These women drifted from social norms regarding women in American Society. In the 1920’s United States, the controversial conduct and morality of flappers led to a new generation of independent women, who made significant advancements in women’s social and

In the novel, The Great Gatsby, and the poem, “The Flapper,” show many similarities and have many of the same messages about women and how they they acted during the ‘20s. The Great Gatsby follows the narration of Nick Carraway, a young man who moves next door to a mysterious millionaire, Mr. Gatsby. Nick soon finds out Mr. Gatsby’s secrets and gets pulled into a giant affair. In “The Flapper,” the poem describes what is like to be a flapper and how a flapper acted. This poem makes sure to highlight how women felt and why they wanted to be flappers. Both the novel and the poem talk about flappers and have similar themes, plots, and symbols about women during the ‘20s.

The 1920s was a time of exhilarating progress in both economic and social areas of society. Prohibition increased the appeal of drinking, creating a booming nightlife industry. People were eager for entertainment, enjoying widespread professional sports and interesting new inventions, like the creation of film and the automobile. Women had just gained the right to vote from the 1920 19th amendment, and were proud to claim their rights. Flappers were young, lively women who contributed to the roar of the 1920s by dressing differently and participating in risky, enjoyable activities previously reserved for men. Flappers broke many boundaries and expectations for women, bringing about great change in society during the 1920s.

One of the biggest factors that caused the roles of women in the united States to change during the 1920’s was the work they did during World War I. While the men were serving overseas, the women stepped into the men’s jobs and made up the majority of the labor force at that time. This allowed women the chance to show that they can do some of the same jobs that men could do. After the war, the number of women in the workforce increased by twenty-five percent. This opened up more opportunities all over the country to earn their place in providing for their families.

The flapper represented the “modern woman” in American youth culture in the 1920’s, and was epitomized as an icon of rebellion and modernity. Precocious, young, stubborn, beautiful, sexual, and independent, the flapper image and ideology revolutionized girlhood. The term “flapper” originated in England to describe a girl who flapped and had not yet reached maturity. Middle-class, white, adolescent girls embraced the symbol of the flapper and the development of change and innovation. It is important to note not all young women embraced the flapper’s rebellious movement and adhered to traditional pre-World War I morals and values. Young women who joined the flapper movement would no longer abide by pre-conceived conventional expectations

The 1920s was a time of development for America as a whole; the Progressive Era was in full swing due to the rapid American Industrialization and the change in traditional thought processes. Progressive reformers at this point in history were working towards familiarizing the nation with new beliefs, contrary to those of traditional ways of life. The newfound concept of progressivism was perpetuated due to the increase of media throughout the country - it was stated that, “The 1920s was a decade of change, when many Americans owned cars, radios, and telephones for the first time,” (“1920s: A Decade of Change”). The sources of media were expanding, thus the reach of media and news was able to spread nationwide - people from all over the country

In the 1920’s, a new woman and following a new era was born. Women were no longer scared to express themselves or to act different. They smoked, drank, and voted. They cut their hair, they’d get all dolled up and do their makeup, and they went to parties. They took risks. They did things that other women would never think of doing before. These fashionable young women during the 1920’s were known as flappers. The term “flappers” originated from Great Britain. These women were on diets to get the right shape of their body for their outfits they would wear when they went out places. Flappers became the image that represented the tremendous change in women’s lives during that time period. When America became a part of the flapper trends it spreaded like crazy. Many were getting sick and tired of not being treated fairly like the rest of the people and they wanted thing to change that.

The Roaring Twenties was a prime era for women. Because of the toils of many strong women, ideals were flipped on their head, to America’s benefit. In the late 1800’s, two women, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, quickly realized that women would not be able to share their political views unless given the right to vote. Because of the fact that women had basically no other societal roles besides housework, they were not respected during this time period. So the two women teamed up and spent the rest of their lives fighting for the women’s suffrage movement. Several campaigns, petitions and an arrest later, the 19th Amendment was finally ratified. However, this surprisingly did not have a great affect the lives of Americans

“Bernice Bobs Her Hair” is a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald that reflects on the summer visit of two wealthy cousins in the 20’s. Marjorie is one of the main characters she is one of the more popular girls in town; her cousin Bernice is her cousin who is visiting for the summer, Bernice is bad at almost anything that comes with being social especially keeping a conversation and is socially awkward even though she is pretty she is quit “dopless”. Bernice starts taking lessons from her cousin in no time she is becoming socially adept,the boys start to like Bernice more than Majorie which causes some tension and like any family jealousy she dares Bernie to bob her hair.In the 20’s to bob your hair was not heard of often it was seen as not

Some people would say being a women in the 1920s was difficult and their right. Besides the point knowing that they grew stronger because of things like the 19th amendment, women’s roles, and fashion/style choices that still would make them incredible role models. Although there are negative people and the world is negative women stood up for what's right in the 1920s, because it's what they believed in and you should do the same

“The thing women have yet to learn is nobody gives you power. You just take it.” (Roseanne Barr). After the 19th amendment passed in the United States, most upper-middle class women believed that the battle for gender equality was over, but a new breed of feminist emerged from the shadows to prove the suffragists that the fight had just begun. This new feminist took the form of a narrow woman with bobbed hair, heavy makeup, and an extravagant drinking problem. These revolutionary equalitarians were known as Flappers and began surfacing around the 1920s. Flappers challenged the remaining issues of a woman’s social injustice and disapproved women’s dependence of men. Flappers helped spark the feminist movement because they

Although still not entirely popular or accepted, women also began to emerge more and more in postsecondary education. Women were only seldom allowed to go to college in the beginning of the 1920’s and when they did, they attended an all-women's school. By 1921 a woman was enrolled in a college that did not traditionally allow women (Benner). This was a monumental step for women’s educational rights. Women were allowed to graduate and become nurses or teachers, the only careers seen fit for women. This was a limitation for women, but this limitation only encouraged women to surpass their expectations and push the limits of what they could achieve as strong and successful members of society.“...by the end of the decade, women represented 47%

During the 1920s, advertisement started to increase and expand. Many ideas and tactics were used to lure the attention of the consumers. After World War I, America started to grow with a stable and growing economy. This flourishment made many American's live out the 1920s in prosperity. This caused America to flourish with new inventions, for example the automobile, household machinery, television, etc. Even old inventions and ideas were improving, like the radio, movies, and the use of advertising. The radio, movies, driving, and buying the various new products became a part of the daily lives. These inventions created a sense of ease for daily lives in America in the 1920s. It made life, jobs, and experiences easier.

Since early ages, mothers have always criticized the ways their daughters acted. In the 1920s criticisms were taken a step further by the flappers, who completely revolutionized the view on females. Flappers in the 1920s had an impact on women for the future. Who they were, what they wore, and what their morals were was how their impacts changed the future for all the females.