Sexual Revolution

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Looking at our past, there have been dramatic changes in the way humans view sex. Long before the 1900s individuals framed their views based on the religious institution. Due to the fact that they strongly centered their idea of sexual thought on religion, they believed that the only purpose of having sex was to procreate. As the 1920’s approached, there were various factors that changed the way individuals viewed sex. The “new women” known, as flappers were women who were confident in who they were. They changed their attire as well as their social attitude. In the 1920s, the flappers redefined sex; customs and traditions were broken and new norms were created by society. In the early 1900’s the ideal woman would be dressed with long dresses and would normally have long hair. Several events such as World War I, in July of 1914, changed women’s role in society. They were not only taking care of the children and the household but they were also taking the role of a man. As men went to war, women replaced them in factories. This caused woman to be more independent. Women realized that having a job was something that could be done; their sex didn’t restrict them from taking this action. This was extremely important as it lead to women being more confident and capable. In the 1920s young women began to change. They went from having long dresses and long hair, to a short haircut and wearing dresses that were above the knee. Women developed a greater interest in looking attractive. According to Russell L. Johnson, the beauty industry grew rapidly as cosmetic expenses sky rocketed from 750 million to 2 billion dollars (Johnson 3). This was one of the causes of the sexual revolution. Women became “ less formal but more expressive (Mag... ... middle of paper ... ... if? The legal consequences of marriage and the legal needs of lesbian and gay male couples. Michigan Law review. Nov.1996. Pg. 447-491. http://www.jstor.org.remote.baruch.cuny.edu/stable/1290119?seq=1&uid=3739664&uid=2134&uid=2&uid=70&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=21103079482127 3) Eskridge William. Symposium on sexual orientation and the law. Virginia Law review. October 1993. Pg. 1419-1513. http://www.jstor.org.remote.baruch.cuny.edu/stable/1073379?seq=3&uid=3739664&uid=2&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=21103079482127 4) Pearson, Erica. Same Sex couples in NYC celebrate green cards after long battle. NY Daily News. 24 November 2013. http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens/gay-queens-playwright-green-card-long-battle-article-1.1527149 5) Pope, Tara. Kept form a dying partners bedside. The New York Times. 18 November 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/19/health/19well.html?_r=0

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