There are various features that describe the flappers form the 1920’s. Before the Roaring Twenties, women were wearing long dresses that covered their legs and arms. Women also had long hair, and women were not allowed to vote or go against the conventional behaviors in society. When the 1920’s came, things changed tremendously. In fact, the 19th Amendments that was passed in the 1920 marked the beginning of these changes. The 19th Amendments gave women the right to vote. It was during this moment that most women began to attend schools and college education.
During the First World War, energetic men who worked in factories and industries went to war. Hence, women began to replace men in the workplace. After the First World War, men came back and wanted their jobs. Women, on the other hand, had tested a new life and realized how their life could go beyond homemaking and caregiving. Women were not ready to leave their jobs and the life they had tested. These marked the begging of new generation women. There are various factors that led to the rise of Flappers from the 1920’s. These factors include push for equal rights, freedom experienced in the workplace, technological innovation, greater mobility, as well as disposable income. In fact, these factors exposed individuals to new ideas, places and advanced ways of living.
The flappers had viewed the older generation of women as disgraceful, wild, and boisterous and wanted nothing to do with their lifestyles. The new young generation reinvented itself and developed the flapper lifestyle that is known in the modern society. The Roaring Twenties was significantly symbolized by the new women called the flapper.
The flappers are one of the enduring images of the young generation in the 20th century. Even in the 21st century, flappers are still close to the minds and hearts of many American. In the 1920’s, many people in American viewed flappers as a threat to the society. These are because the flappers were a representative of the new social and moral order. The flappers were the daughter of the middle-class in the America, but they disobeyed all the values of the middle-class. A new generation of women flirted and danced in a suggestive manner with the boys. In fact, flappers valued the pleasure over virtue, novelty over traditions, as well as style over substance. These are clear indication that flappers focused in triumphs of the modern society. From 1920’s, flappers became the cultural topic due to the many changes that came with.
Flappers were single, urban, middle-calls and young women. Many of the flappers had steady jobs due to the changes in that were taking place in the American economy. The clerking jobs were many, and the consumer economy in America encouraged the changing lifestyle of flappers. The behaviors of Flappers during these periods were eccentric since it defied women roles. In fact, the media branded them as reckless, pleasure-loving, and ready to defy the conventional behaviors through sexual relationships.
One of the significant changes that defined flappers form the 1920’s was fashion. In fact, they were known for their new fashion that came. As a result, if the developing French fashion. Before 1920’s, women fashion was very important, but these was at its peak during the era of flappers. The flapper's fashion style made young women and girls to look boyish. These fashion styles were characterized by flattered breasts, short hair, as well as straight waists. The fashion of flappers brought many scandals, but their appearance was fashionable and respectable older women could not resist it. The flappers the corset wore short skirts and made popular short hairstyle.
In the modern society, the outer clothing style of flappers is still identified. The classify flapper’s dress code was meant to enjoy wonderful times in the city with friends. The entire outfit was fitting and showed a little skin. The dress was also accessorized with beads, lace, and loud fringe, which attracted many people. The revealing outfits were tempting and the fact that flappers enjoyed dancing meant that young men had plenty of legs to look. These were a major challenge to conventional culture and values. The older generation viewed this type of dress code as pornographic.
The accessories and hair was a new style that flappers introduced. The boyish haircuts became popular, which included shingle bob, bob cut, and Eton cut. On the same, not flappers used hats and the famous styles included Cloche hat and Newsboy hat. On the same note, women favored the step in panties at the expense of corsets. During dancing, flappers wore bust bodies in order to restrain their chest movement. In addition, they introduced new type of corsets that were softer, which brought about new appearance. The use of Symington side lacer as the bra flattened their chest making most of the women envious.
Flappers were iconic symbol of jazz music and the jazz age. In the 1920’s, prohibition was in effect but music and liquor were available, especially in the cities. The fashions of the flappers were driven by the urge to dance to jazz music. Hence, the flappers gave up the old-fashioned clothes and victoria clothing for more practical dancing styles, especially to jazz music. In fact, the upswept hairstyle was abandoned by the flappers. Jazz music was the best for flappers since it was syncopated and loud. In fact, jazz music was very different from the old generations for of music, which was listened to by the flappers’ patents. Despite the fact that jazz was considered evil, flappers still enjoyed dancing to it. Parents asserted that jazz music was a bad influence to the young generation and was blamed for deafness and drunkenness among the youth. Jazz became immensely popular in society. Jazz music challenged the social morality of society and even created some sense of ethnic differentiation. The flapper girls enjoyed jazz music in the clubs, and the old fashioned ideas and style had no chance.
Petting parties from 1920’s became more common compared to the Victorian era, which existed in the past. Petting parties attracted many women. The petting parties took place mostly in colleges were young people enjoyed unsupervised interaction. The use of slang words was also a major characteristic among the young generation from the 1920’s. Flappers used slang words such as necking parties, “necker”, and “heavy necker”. In fact, jazz was used to represent any interesting and exciting things. The language that was used by flappers from the 1920’s reflected feelings about drinking habits, dating, as well as marriage.
The layered necklace look was another crucial style for the flappers. During these eras, Coco Channel made popular these sorts of style. It encouraged young women to pile many chains, ropes, jewelry, and beads. The make-up rites also became part of fashion among the flappers. Women used more of lipsticks due to intention of the metal lipstick container. The stylish looks, lifestyles and jobs of the flappers overturned the Victorian era. Flappers focused on their jobs and challenged the societal norms by working outside home. Flappers disregarded rigid and old ideas and embraced personal choice and consumerism. The flappers’ era came to an end during the great depression. The lifestyle disappeared at the age Wall Street Crash.
In the general perceptive, flappers wee the iconic symbol from the 1920’s. As a matter of fact, flapper from the 1920’s brought tremendous changes in society that is believed to have a major influence in the modern society. Being flapper girls from 1920’s entailed dress code, language, music, women roles, as well as dancing. Studies show that the flapper girls in the 1920’s flourished their unconventional behavior and dress. The flappers came from middle-class in America, but they rebelled against all the conventional behaviors and lifestyle of the middle class. Flappers wore a short dress that showed some part of their legs. Some of the crucial characteristics of flappers included jazz music, dancing, short hair, short dress, use of make-ups, apparels, lingerie, cosmetics, petting parties, as well as slang language. From the 1920’s, life seems to be moving very fast due to the changes brought about by flappers. Women began to go to work at the expense of a conventional house making. Flappers from 1920 have brought many changes in America.
Bibliography
"Las Pelonas" in Manuel Gamio, The Life Story of the Mexican Immigrant (New York: Dover, 1971), 308.
F. Scott Fitzgerald, "Bernice Bobs Her Hair," short story, 1920 University of South Carolina Press
Gourley, Catherine. 2008. Divas, flappers, and the new American woman: women's images and issues in the 1920s. Minneapolis: Twenty-First Century Books.
Hudovernik, Robert. Jazz Age Beauties: The Lost Collection of Ziegfeld Photographer Alfred Cheney Johnston. 2006
Irene Castle Treman, “I Bobbed My Hair and Then—,” Ladies Home Journal, October 1921, 124; Mary Garden “Why I Bobbed My Hair,” Pictorial Review, April 1927, 8; Mary Pickford, “Why I Have Not Bobbed Mine,” Pictorial Review, April 1927, 9.
Life, February 18, 1926—Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress.
Revivalist Calls Modern Girls 'Hell Cats with Muddy Minds,'" The Atlanta Constitution, March 2, 1927. Bessie T. Fortson, letter to the editor, The Atlanta Constitution, March 5, 1927.
Sagert, Kelly Boyer. 2010. Flappers: a guide to an American subculture. Santa Barbara, Calif: Greenwood Press.
