The Roaring Twenties

The 1920s was a decade that is sometimes referred to as the “Roaring Twenties” or the “Jazz Age.” The Roaring Twenties was a break in tradition or the usual way of living. During this time period, changes in technology and art/entertainment greatly impacted how people lived. Radios became more popular and televisions were invented, which made broadcasting news a lot easier. As women started to develop a sense of independence, the way people dressed changed dramatically. All these changes that occurred in this decade impacted all the generations after. In the 1920s American society was heavily influenced by an increase in technology and communication, new forms of literature, as well as in ways people could express themselves through arts and entertainment.

Flappers and sheiks were the looks of the 1920s. Flappers were generally young women who bobbed their hair, wore loose fitting dresses and lots of make-up. The sheiks on the other hand were young men. Generally, they slicked their hair back, wore camel hair jackets and loose flannel pants. Raccoon coats were also very popular attire for the men. The tube-shaped dresses that the women wore hung very loosely and reflected a new mood. Women began to feel more independent after WW1 so they began dressing the way the wanted too. McEvoy states in her book The 1920s and 1930s, “Flappers had their own language, designed to keep the old generation guessing when they were discussing what they were up too” (McEvoy). This quote helps show us how the women had become more independent and wanted to change the way they had been living and make it better. Flappers became part of the entertainment in the 1920s along with movies, music, and literature. The Flappers performed at shows and also ...

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... she tells us “There was optimism, a sense of the world on the move, with air travel, ocean liners, sports car, and the new affordable Model-T-Ford automobile opening up with travel to more people than ever before” (McEvoy). These new technological advances not only affected the lives entertainment wise, but it also made jobs for many people.

“The Roaring Twenties” was shown to be the relaxation of moral attitudes. Throughout this decade a lot of changes occurred, in technology, art/entertainment and even in literature. The way this generation wrote affected how generations in the future wrote their novels, articles and journals. The new inventions that were discovered allowed people more freedom and faster ways of getting information that was going on around the world. Without these changes in the world, we would be living a lot different lives then we are now.