In what ways did the lives of women change in the USA in the 1920's?
During the 1920's there were many signs that the role of women was changing. The war had bought about three big changes. Women had been the vote in 1920's. This gave them more political power. They were in theory allowed to work in the arm of the government but no woman ever joined any politic job. Secondly Women had worked in wartime factories in large numbers. This proved they could do jobs just as well as men, and gave many women the desire for more work opportunities. Lastly social habits show us that the lifestyles and habits changed overtime and people started to change their ideas of thinking as the world introduced fresh ideas.
Women formed half the population of America and their lives were as varied as those of men. It is therefore difficult to generalise. However, before the First World War middle-class women in America, like those in Britain, expected to follow restricted life. They had to war very restrictive clothes and behave politely. They were not expected to wear make-up. Their relationship with men were strictly controlled so that the boy and the girl do not meet in an area where no one is there with them so then a chaperone has to go with them to see nothing like kissing or anything happens between them. They were not expected to take part in any sport or to smoke in public in front of everyone. In most states the women were not allowed to vote, they were not given a say in the society in these states. Most women were expected to same and to all the house and stay as a housewife. Very few paid jobs would be open to the women at this time in America. Even if women did any work they were put in lower paid jobs such as cleaning, dressmaking or secretarial work.
The flappers of the 1920s were no doubt moral women. They were the women that were bold enough to show themselves for who they were, and not be daunted by society. They began a breakthrough for American women, and if they hadn’t done so, where would we be today?
Before the flappers came about, women always wore skirts that covered their ankles. If they didn’t, they would be considered “scandalous.” But the flappers began wearing skirts that were nine inches off the ground, and then even up to their knees! They did away with undergarments such as petticoats, garters, and corsets. This enabled them to move more freely and comfortably. They could run, and even eat, without losing their breath because of “a corset mutilating their internal organs.” Cosmetics, which used to be used only in the whorehouse, became the mainstream. It was considered respectable now for women to wear rouge and powder. Women also were beginning to claim men’s rights for themselves. They no longer bound their hair back to control it – they freely bobbed their hair, and considered short hair to be daring and sexy.
Although some of these things may have been considered immoral back then, they were indeed very moral to women of all ages. All of these changes signified a new found freedom among women. They no longer felt the need to be conservative and secondary to men. They were equal, and intended to show it. Many of their new activities were of intelligence, as well, even though it may not have seemed like it back then. Flappers invented dating in the 1920s. Before dating, boys had to be seeing a girl. Girls had to be engaged to a boy in order to go out with them. But how did girls really get to know a boy under supervised “courting” visits? Dating gave them a way to see each other and discover each other without committing to a marriage first. It was a flexible way of meeting and seeing people, and having fun with them regardless.
Women were voting in the 1920s, and were given equal rights with men. So the flappers had a good reason to celebrate! They created many new dancing styles, which went right along with the new music of the time. Parents were dismayed to find that their white youth enjoyed black musicians’ music. These young women knew what was right for their country before the country knew it itself, and that’s what they showed as flappers. They were modernizing the world, though a little too early to be appreciated.
Flappers were also discovering themselves, discovering their talents their abilities, their unique personalities. The generations before them were not nearly as advanced or “thoroughly developed mentally, physically, and emotionally” as they were, because times change. And people have to change with the times. They needed a way to “let loose,” to just relax and have fun with their peers, and escape the constant scrutiny of their elders. The teen generation of the 1920s found new ways to discover, to learn, and to progress, and although these new ways were not initially encouraged by their elders, now they have come to be recognized as “for the better.” They represented current culture to the dot. The flappers of the 1920s were not going against society’s old ways to be rebellious; they were merely expressing themselves.
