Would You Be A Flapper If You Were in the 1920s?
/ QueendancerWhat is a flapper like in your imagination? Young chicks wearing a signature flapper dress, a bob hairstyle, dangling a cigarette in her mouth, and dancing to a live jazz band? Flapper girls are the icon and soul of the 1920s, they make the roaring 1920s most charming and alive. The charming part is that a young woman rocking her figure in a sequined short flapper dress, wearing dainty make-up, and enjoying the new freedom that came at the end of the First World War. In the 1920s, women had the right to vote for the first time and they increasingly started joining the labor market, they worked, they consumed, and they embraced the new freedom in life.
Where did the word FLAPPER come from?
In Britain, before the First World War, FLAPPER was used to describe a silly girl. After the First World War, flapper had a new definition. it referred to a class of young women who wore their hair after their ears, wore knee-length skirts, danced jazz, smoked and drank, and were always surrounded by adoring male suitors.
What did Flapper girl like to do?
They especially liked the fringe skirts that were popular at the time, which could show off their legs and ankles while allowing them to dance with ease. Their favorite dance was the Charleston Dance. This dance was especially popular in the 1920s. Men and women waved their arms with fast-moving foot movements. Flapper girls liked to dance this joyful dance. This dance was first pioneered by African-Americans and gradually became popular throughout the country.
During the time, traditional women's clothing emphasizes the obvious waistline, which made it inconvenient for women to dance. Around 1923, Coco Chanel designed a very fashionable dress for women. This skirt is shorter than the traditional skirts in the past, the waistline was lower than the normal waistline, and did not have a defined waistline. The overall shape was a square without sleeves. Such dresses were very popular with flapper girls because they could dance freely.
The most attractive thing about Flapper girls was their good aesthetics and unique fashion style. Their behavior and attitude towards life made them charming. Flapper girls were young, fast-moving, fast-talking, bold, free, and easy, they were not afraid of previous social customs and taboos. They loved to smoke, drink, ride bikes, drive cars, and flirt with different men.
Women Entering the Workforce in the 1920s
Flapper culture was born in the context of the growing social economy in the United States. By 1920, for the first time in American history, more than half of Americans lived in urban rather than rural areas. As part of social development, more and more women were entering the labor market. By 1929, more than half of women were paid for their work. In the 1920s, however, nearly one-third of working women were domestic servants, and the rest were clerks, factory workers, store clerks, and other "feminine" occupations. In time, women's status was gradually improving because of the reality of their self-reliance.
Women in the 1920s Began to Consume
Although their salaries were not high, women joined the new mass consumption culture. Their wages may not be on par with their male counterparts, but working women had used their purchasing power to join the country's new mass consumption culture. By 1927, more than half of American households had electricity. They gradually adopted new consumer goods such as washing machines, refrigerators, and vacuum cleaners. Women were the main target audience for many new products, including home appliances, clothing, and cosmetics.
For women in the 1920s, their lives were richer and freer. The rise of the automobile contributed to the sense of freedom and possibility that pervaded the Roaring Twenties. The automobile was at the center of American life in the 1920s. Not everyone could afford it, but consumer credit also expanded in the 20s. At the same time, the information revolution brought about by the advent of radio-enabled the spread of a new vibrant, youth-centric urban culture in the United States.
Women in the 1920s Became More Open-Minded
The new world and new society also affected women's marriage and sexuality. This change was not limited to the distribution of housework but the nature of marriage. Wives and husbands spent more time with each other in marriage. Birth control was becoming more and more common. This helped to limit the size of the family, and women could also be liberated to a certain extent from raising children to having more time to explore themselves.
Flapper Spirit Is A Sign of An Era
The women of the 1920s and the innovation they brought to fashion made an era unique and glamorous. While the Great Recession destroyed much of America's prosperity and consumer confidence, the country's mass consumer culture would eventually reemerge stronger than ever. In the decades after 1920, an increasing number of women received higher education and entered political life as activists, lobbyists, or legislators. The changes in sexuality and family life that occurred in the 1920s also persisted. If you happened to live in the 1920s, would you be an ordinary housewife or a charming flapper girl with a distinct personality?
