Freedom of the Flapper

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Partying, drinking, and dancing; these are the adjectives most commonly associated with the life of a flapper. While these descriptions are accurate, they do not inform people of the advantages and gains flappers made for the female gender. The flapper embodied the idea of freedom from the usual duties of a young female in the 1920s. These women were no longer tied down with the expectation that they immediately become a wife and mother, as well as being conservative and modest. By diving into a look at the fashion, music, and lifestyle of the flapper during the 1920s it will become obvious that they were not only independent, liberated, and enjoying many more freedoms than they had previously throughout history, but that they also helped to pave the way for future generations of women’s quest for independence.

Many flappers were working, single, white, middle-class women. They held jobs in the post-World War I era’s booming economy as clerks, telephone operators, and sales people. However, it was these women’s activities once the work day was over that the flapper lifestyle became famous for. These young and vibrant women were determined to have a good time; they frequented jazz clubs and speakeasies (prohibition was in full swing during the flapper’s era). The flapper participated in activities more commonly associated with men at the time, such as smoking and drinking. This exciting nightlife led women to seek for the elimination of double standards in regards to gender; therefore, they began to experiment more in their sexuality than did previous generations.

In the generation leading up to the emergence of the flapper, the popular style for women was that of the “Gibson Girl”. Based on the depictions of women by...

... middle of paper ...

...nthia A. Migastro. New York: New York University Press, 1998.

- Zeitz, Joshua. Flapper: A Madcap Story of Sex, Style, Celebrity, and the Women Who

Made America Modern. New York: Crown Publishing Inc., 2006.

Primary Sources:

- Boncilla Cosmetics, "How We Beautify in Hollywood."

1929. http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/adaccess_BH0110/ (accessed April 1, 2011).

- Kotex Company, "Marvelous...the Freedom With This New Sanitation Product."

1929. http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/adaccess_BH0018/ (accessed April 10, 2011).

- Modess, ""Step On It, Mother-- This Isn't the Polka."

1929. http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/adaccess_BH0110/ (accessed April 1, 2011).

- West Electric Hair Curler Company, "A Modern Coiffure by an Improved Method."

1926. http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/adaccess_BH0301/ (accessed April 10, 2011).

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