As we saw in the documentary in class, the 1920s brought a new movement of women's liberation. Politically, women gained the important right of suffrage with the passing of the 19th amendment, a monumental step to equalizing men and women in power. Women's numbers in the workforce also grew, increasing their power both financially (as they brought in more income) and expanded their power outside of the domain of the household. From there, women in society started to live for themselves, rather than maintaining the stereotype of a domestic wife. Women that embraced this new lifestyle were known as flappers and vamps. Their physical appearances changed with the times and reflected the newer, freer style. Clothing showed more skin, hairstyles became shorter, and makeup was adapted to become bolder and more flamboyant. The behavior of flappers and vamps also reflected women's newfound freedom. They participated in smoking, drinking alcohol (despite Prohibition), and took part in dances such as the Charleston.
Flappers in the 1920s
Older generations were shocked and outraged by this new change to women. Flappers and vamps lost the modesty women were expected to have in previous years. Flappers were women that would push the boundaries of society but would never cross the line, while vamps did not care and did what they pleased. These two groups of women helped change women's stereotypes in society, as well as celebrate women's rights and equality, both politically and socially.
Sources:
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-history-of-the-flapper-part-1-a-call-for-freedom-11957978/
http://www.d.umn.edu/cla/faculty/tbacig/studproj/is3099/jazzcult/20sjazz/fashion.html
https://womenof1920s.wikispaces.com/file/view/flappers.gif/202602686/flappers.gif
Nice job Allison - not only did you explain what "vamps" and "flappers" were but also discussed what lead to the emergence of these two groups. It's important to note that while women gained new freedoms all over the country, the majority - if not all - of these "vamps" and "flappers" were limited to the city and urban areas where women were able to find economic opportunities along with social hubs. Meanwhile, women in rural areas, while gaining political freedom, remained relatively the same in their social and economic standing in the 1920's. This only further divided the conservative rural areas with the increasingly loose urban centers in the United States.
ReplyDeleteI liked your post very much. It did a very good job of summarizing changes in women and not just their outside appearance. It's also important to realize that due to their appearance, their way of thinking changed as well. But because their thinking style changed, many didn't like it because it was foreign to them and they were used to seeing women as modest and "ladylike".
ReplyDeleteThis is a super interesting post! I really liked how you described the origin of the flappers and vamps, as well as how it almost completely flipped around the role of a woman in the 1920s. A common point which you touched on a bit in this article- older generations seem to react to societal changes negatively. For example, the older generation were angrily shocked at the emergence of flappers and vamps. Similarly, at the time of the War Hawks, the older generation of Founding Fathers were strongly opposed to the younger generation's aggressiveness. This pattern has continued throughout the course of history- why do you think that is? Is it the younger generation's thirst for rebellion? Is it the older generation's ignorance to the possibly beneficial outcomes of these new ideas?
ReplyDelete