The History Of Under The Flappers

Down the bustling city street, behind the doors of a crowded speakeasy exists a new brand of women. Under the smoke of cigars, past the bar lined with half filled martini glasses, in the middle of the dance floor a vibrant young woman bounces around on the balls of her feet in a dazzling ruby-red dress with blonde bobbed hair. With her short hair and rolled stockings she appears to be nothing more than a simple minded and free spirited girl, but is there more to her than meets the eye? Under the dazzling dresses and rolled stockings is a woman. A woman who is free-minded and independent in America, a quite magnificent feat considering where women had been just years prior to the twenties. A prior suffragette, with a history of hardships unknown to her male counterpart, the flapper is the new and improved woman of the 20th century. Prior to 1919 women were considered to be nothing more than housewives that served no purpose other than too cook and clean. While men earned an ample wage at high-end jobs in fields such as government or medicine, women “dragged [themselves] off day by day to work until someone came along and married [them]. Sometimes she was a Cinderella, but more often she graduated a household drudge,” who had to struggle to make a living at horrible, low-end jobs (Crowther). In 1848, they

In fact the attire of the flapper is merely a reflection of their attitude and achievements. Crowther proves to us that this statement is true by informing us that the flappers, “ not one of whom had any need to work, all intended to find jobs during the summer, and they thought that most of the girls in school would do the same. They all wanted to know how to make a living — and to have a good time doing it”. With that mindset they headed out to make a living of their