Christina Valentin History 108 The Flapper: More than a Pretty Face In the 1920’s there were a few revolutions, but none as everlasting as the female revolution that was the flapper. It is hard to imagine that so many people influenced her in different ways. From the way she dressed to the things she did, the flapper was conceived by the world around her. What is more amazing is that she has left a mark that has transcended throughout the decades. Joshua Zeitz’s work is an homage to the women who have changed the world forever with their sense of style, lacking regard for morals and manners, and their desire for freedom. The main contributors to the flapper were F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda Sayre. They first met each other …show more content…
Clara Bow, Colleen Moore, and Louise Brooks, played a big part in influencing the young girls of the twenties, being that they literally played the flapper on the silver screen. After watching them in great movies like Ella Cinders, Wings, or Pandora’s Box, there wasn 't a girl out there that did not want to bob her hair, wear silk stockings, or go out and party. When you mention going out and partying, you can not do so without bringing up Lois Long, the famous reporter for “The New Yorker” hired to go to Jazz clubs at night and report about her outings in the morning. Her reports were honest and lively. During an interview a few years later she stated, “ There was a reckless atmosphere we responded to. We women had been emancipated and we weren 't sure what we were supposed to do with all the freedom and equal rights, so we were going to hell laughing and …show more content…
Joshua show us that the flapper was more or less a victim of circumstance. With all the new advances in technology and the reforms of the world, it was only a matter of time before women decided that they needed some independence as well. Immigrants coming in the country left and right, people of color fighting for their human rights, and men fighting for their country. They began to smoke, drink and have sex because it was their life, they wanted to vote, own property and obtain any job they wanted because it was their right, they did not want to dress in their mother’s attire and not all of them wanted to have children because it was their body. The 1920’s were revolutionary for the woman and Mr. Zeitz puts it all into perspective with his
Lloyd Armbrust reputes that the flappers abandoned the old generation’s unflattering and tight fashion with their flowing dresses with bobbed hair to display their confidence. Flappers would hang their corsets and cut their hair to illustrate how women had the ability to wear what they want and be who they please. They disapproved of the modest dresses women were expected to wear and ridded themselves of the patriarchy’s body shaming notions. Before the 1920s, women were rarely seen in bars and saloons but, as the Prohibition was implemented, Armbrust notes the flappers segregated the bars to drink freely. These women had the ability to defy what society told them and learned that being “selfless” was oppressive.
With the right to vote, consumer based culture, leisure time, and modernism, women who followed these new practices and ideals created the flapper image of the roaring twenties we know today. In Fitzgerald’s story he describes the girls almost wanting to be flappers to me it seems as if in almost all of Fitzgerald’s books he has a girl who is the opposite of what her society wants her to be like and is leaning towards the lifestyle of a flapper girl it's like they are all the same person or have many of the same characteristic in “ The Great Gatsby” which is one of my favorite books, Jordan Baker is a golfer who represents what the new woman is which is cynical,boyish, and self centered. She kinda reminds me of how Beatrice and Marjorie are at the end. They had almost every iconic element of a flapper besides the bobbed hair,but they loved to party at the end , they dance to jazz music, was cut-in every few feet on the dance floor, was always wearing the latest fashions, and was all over casual dating. With this new flashy and flirtatious attitude and charm that young women
Flappers, wealth, and prohibition that's with the 1920's were about. The novel The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, was placed in this time period. Fitzgerald uses the novel to place a message showing the differences between higher and lower classes. The characters in this book have different values and goals based on their class, that attribute to the theme of this book. Jordan Baker in this time would be considered a flapper.
Flappers engaged in behaviors and activities that were considered “brave” for women-- drinking, smoking, partying, and enjoying nightlife where they met others who were outside of their normal social circle, challenging the idea that women
Flappers rebelled and rejected the idea that women should uphold society's morals through temperance and chastity The young women known as ''flappers'' were shocking to society because they challenged traditional notions and norms about femininity and the role of women. Flappers were a symbol of the 1920s, flappers embody the youth and rebellion commonly associated with the prohibition era. Flappers were often described by older people as energetic and wild—sometimes even dangerous or immoral these women would dress to dance the night away with their stylish and relaxed-fit dresses Colleen Moore, Clara Bow and Louise Brooks were the 3 most famous flappers in Hollywood in 1920's.
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.
The Effect of Flappers on American Society and the Perception of Women 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
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.
After the 19th amendment was passed, giving women the right to vote, woman began leaving behind their traditional roles and taking on new responsibilities, fashion trends and claiming their independence.(Doc 5.The New Woman). The younger generation of ladies in the 1920s surfaced into what is know as a flapper. Flappers listened to jazz music, embraced risqué fashion trends, and took part in bold behavior, which challenged their stereotype and led to more tension. The need breed of woman wanted to be accepted by the older generation, who often judged and disagreed with their new lifestyle. (doc 6.
The white slavery epidemic can be traced back to the time period; the 1920s was a period of evolution for the typical woman, where the response was the flapper; a “...tomboyish and flamboyant [female]: [with] short bobbed hair; knee-length, fringed skirts; long, draping necklaces; and rolled stockings” and also it was stated in the same article that “...few women actually fit this image, it was used widely in journalism and advertising to represent the rebelliousness of the period” (Culture in the 1920s: Loosening Social Structure). The image of the new woman, the flapper, was just as manipulated by the press as it was for white slavery. The flapper was described to be more promiscuous, and to have more sexual freedom than before, having the ability to show kees which was frowned upon before.
The image of the flapper was used in magazines and advertising and lead to the influence of mass consumer culture and media. This new image of the flapper “encouraged both the consumption of new products and new patterns of consumption and provided women with accessible routes to engage with modernity.” Since women started to gain rights such as voting and opportunity to gain jobs, women started to gain a sense of freedom and started to mix in with the new modern world they were entering in. As stated before, technology started to rise, and companies wanted to sell these new products. So, companies started to aim towards women in
Despite this, women were able to make a huge impact on America through social reforms. Many young women went against the beliefs of their parents. Prior to the Roaring Twenties, America was in a Victorian era. Women wore dresses that were floor-length, their hair was long and premarital sex was almost non-existent. During the 1920’s however, some women became what are known as “flappers”.
The Great Gatsby What do you know about “being in the shoes” of women in the 1920s ? The 19th amendment gained women the right to vote. With more freedom came fashion/style with flappers, skirts, hats, hairstyles and many more styles or fashion that started a movement. Following the roles of women after the war the result were sexually liberated.
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. Similar to the novel , the poem has a strong message about women and how they were thought of.
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. “The term "flapper" originated in the 1920s and refers to the fashion trend for unfastened rubber galoshes that "flapped" when walking, an attribution reinforced by the image of the free-wheeling flapper in popular culture.”