Flappers In The 1920's Essay

After The WW1 The Term Flapper Came To Be. A Flapper Was A Term That Came To Be In The 1920ś It Referred To Fashionable Young Women That Enjoyed Themselves And had A Different Behavior. These Women Often Wore Short, Tight Dresses That Went To The Knee. They Also Went From Having Long Nice Hair To Having A Bobbed Look Which Was Short Hair.

Women also stated believing that they did not have to act as a woman were expected to act all the time. They believed they could drink, smoke, party, dance, wear make up and seductive clothes without any problems. These women were given the name of a flapper. Alcohol had a major influence on the 1920s. In January of 1920 the 18th amendment was passed.

In April of 1966, James Brown sang that “this is a man’s world”, however only four decades before women had been working to prove their value and social power, by challenging the social norms, and showing that it truly would be nothing with the women of the nation. Though, in reality, to what extent did they challenge the social norms of their time? There were limitations facing the women of the 1920s regardless they changed society for the better. Even before the 1920s, women were making a new name for themselves in society. The First World War was a pivotal moment for women’s social status.

“Flappers” better known as a groups of young woman who wore skirts, had bobbed hair, frequently listened to jazz, and tended to use sexual behavior fairly often. The picture of the group of Flappers in Document L shows the specific styles of clothing and traits of the Flappers during the twentieth century(DOC L). In the twenties, the traditionalist viewed them in a negative way. If one was considered a flapper, it meant that she had many sexual encounters. Traditionalists didn’t want women to strive to be like that.

These new women were more rebellious and their values were no longer conventional but focused on getting a better job while the vote made them more influential members of society. The flappers were more independent, adventurous but most of all, they were modern (“Routledge”). The flappers attended more parties and they had more risque dances which they performed to the jazz music of the era. The prohibition created speakeasies, which were underground clubs that people could go to to drink illegal alcohol and listen to controversial jazz music. In these places, flappers would have “petting parties” where they would kiss men in public, which was not commonplace (“The USA: A Nation of Contrasts.”).

Did you know that if girls dressed with certain clothes they were given the nickname of “Flappers”. In the 1920’s they represented a change and growth era. The 1920’s had two nicknames: the “Roaring 20’s” or also known as the “Jazz Age”. The 1920’s was a period of social revolution, coming out of World War I.

Joshua Zeitz, an American author and historian writes about, the contemporary woman modernizing the new decade of the twenties. Flappers were the epitome of the twenties, the pushers against social norms, and the young rambunctious women who changed the meaning of what meant to be a woman. Zeitz includes quotes from the inventor of the flapper, F.Scott Fitzgerald “‘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’”, (Zeitz 7).

These bars changed how women acted. Women now would drink, smoke and talk about sexual relations in public. This created the new women, or flappers. They generally had much shorter skirts, were more politically proactive, and had a good time. According to the fifteenth reading women even bobbed their hair or cut it rather short.

(Hatton 2) Women in this era, were a far image from previous women. They turned the 1920s into a model of modern women hood by dominating the american cultural scenes. The flapper look was very different than what the women previously of the 1920s wore. Physically the women had bobbed hair, noticeable makeup, and flashy lipstick.

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”.

It was quite the time to be alive in the U.S. during the 1920s. Several people went against Prohibition, gave into new styles of dressing and dancing, and rejected moral standards passed down from older generations. To many, the 1920s were also known as the “Roaring Twenties”. A large impact on the 1920s was caused by a fashionable young female with the intention of enjoying herself and breaking normal moral standards of behavior, who were classified as flappers to many. There are several different ways flappers impacted the 1920s such as the behavior of the younger generation, how the older generation view them, and the economy increasing.

The 1920s were a time of great change in the United States. World War I had just ended and everyone was joyous that it was over. New jobs were created and styles changed to fit these new times. It was during this period that the flapper came about. The flapper’s unfamiliar style shocked those of the older generation.

1920’s Flappers “Flappers initiated in the 1920s, the term “flapper” described women who flamboyantly flouted their contempt for what was back then deemed as societal behavior that was conventional. Flappers were women who were characterized by their choice of bobbed hair, short skirts, and their enjoyment of jazz music”(Co). These women has made a huge impact on woman lives today with their styles alone. The style of the flappers were unique for its time period. These beautiful women was known for wearing skinny tight dresses.

This was the time of 'flappers' who were the re-invented women of the 20's. They didn't conform to the social norms at the time and rebelled against what was traditionally thought acceptable. The 20's was an important time for women when they finally gained the right to vote. This signified the changing times and the new attitudes towards women in America at the time. They also began to wear their hair short in bobs and wear short dresses and flashy jewelry.

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