Table of Contents
-
The Beginning of the Age of the Flapper
-
During the Flapper Craze
-
The Extinction of the Flapper
-
Impact of Flappers on Life and Society
...
The Beginning of the Age of the Flapper:
After World War One, women had gained the right to vote and, along with it, new senses of feminism and independence. Their new freedom, linked with their dislike of the prohibition of alcohol, probably led to the creation of the new woman of the 1920's: the flapper.
During the Flapper Craze:
Women began to bob their hair and wear shorter dresses, which showed glimpses of their knees and was considered scandalous. They began to have a new outlook on life (living in the moment) and were more reckless and prone to cling to their youth. They rebelled against the traditional Gibson girl-the feminine ideal of the early 1900's- and the Prohibition. They drank alcohol, danced provocatively, smoked cigarettes, created their own slang, drove cars, and did many other things that were considered appalling to their parents and other adults during the Roaring Twenties. In the beginning, flappers were rare and there were only a few that could be seen casually. However, their lifestyles were popularized by authors like F. Scott Fitzgerald and artists like Faith Burrows, who glamourized their way of life and the way they dressed and acted. Although they bagan to have a more popular image, flappers were also critized by psychologists, who said they were of the lowest intelligence and hopeless, and writer-critics such as Dorothy Parker, who wrote "Flappers: A Hate Song" to poke fun at the fad. Despite their negative criticism, the flappers' popularity grew and they became mainstream in the mid- 20's.
The Extinction of the Flapper:
Even though the flappers had gained acceptance on a larger scale, their lifestyles and looks couldn't and didn't survive the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and the Great Depression that followed. Their quirky and high-spirited attitudes were no match for the economic hardships that followed and they quickly dwindled down into obscurity.
Impact of Flappers on Life and Society:
Besides the immediate effects, flappers were important in shaping future generations and had a rather large lasting impact on life and society and the youth that littered it.
Flappers:
-
created the Charleston, Black Bottom, and the Shimmy (dance styles)
-
changed the way fashion would be looked at and helped make Coco Chanel famous because she created the "traditional" flapper look
-
helped make alcohol drinking among women more normal
-
wore lots of makeup, which helped the cosmetics industry flourish (and was partially responsible for increasing sales up to $141 million in 1925, up 830% from $17 million in 1914) when their popularity boomed, and helped make cosmetics usual to see on a woman
-
made wearing art deco as jewelry popular
-
helped get rid of the corset as the "normal bra" for good
-
popularized high heels and boyish/shorter haircuts on women
-
raised gown and skirt hemlines
-
advocated women's rights and voting, which furthered the women's rights movement
-
created slang that's still used to this day
-
popularized tans
-
made youth become more reckless and fun
-
managed to have a good time and lightened the mood for the 20's
