Flappers In The 1920's

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Flappers: The Revaluation of the Traditional Women Imagine living during the 1920’s the beginning of women acting out rebelliously, doing things like cursing, smoking, and drinking in public. Many women that made these bold actions, were called flappers. Flappers were typically young, middle class women that lived in urban areas. There mindset was carefree and more independent than ever before. Most women worked during World War I so that men could serve in the war. After the war women felt there needed to be a change for themselves in society. Prior to the 1920s, women were idealized for dressing like Gibson Girls, but after World War I, women began to act and dress more rebellious and were called flappers, and this made women feel more empowered …show more content…
As Kelly Sagret explains, Charles Dana Gibson was the creator of the Gibson Girl in the late 19th century. Gibson's wife and his sister modeled for him while he drew sketches of what Gibson Girls were portrayed as. Most of these girls, including the ones in Gibson's drawings were slender and curvy with hourglass figures due to the corsets they wore under their dresses. There hair was often curled neatly and piled on top of their heads (2). Sagret explains, “The Gibson Girl was elegant yet approachable and charming, intelligent and capable without making demands of equality” (5). These women could be charming without feeling the need to be equal to men to get by. As “Fashion and Dress” further explains, Gibson Girls wore long skirts and dresses. They also wore matching fitted jackets, they did not show much skin because they were modest (94). However events in the 1920’s changed women’s fashion and behavior. The style of the Gibson Girl began to change during World War I. As Sagret explains, there was a very dramatic change in fashion between the 1910’s and the 1920’s (2). During World War I, more than four million men entered the war effort. This opened up many jobs in the work force. …show more content…
They became more carefree and did not mind what others thought about them. Flappers fashion was a dramatically changed during the 1920s. As Ahuja Shigadha explains, the 1920s was the fearless fashion era, where women dressed however they pleased (1). As Cally Blackman continues to explain, Coco Chanel was one of the most influential French fashion designers during the 1920s. Chanel's designs were influenced by garçon which means boy in French. Flappers usually had slim, boyish bodies. They no longer wore corsets, instead they wore cylindrical underwear that made women's chests flattened (6). Women also started cutting their hair short, up to their cheeks and got bangs to run along their foreheads. Their dresses had a dramatic change in length as well. They no longer covered their legs (Drowne and Huber 43). Instead of wearing dark colored stockings that hid their legs, they now wore rayon stockings which were a nude color that matched their skin tone (Blackman 6). Fringe was often seen on flappers dresses it added a sense of movement when they danced around. Flappers began to wear makeup. Their eyeliner, eyeshadow, and scarlet lipstick was put on to make them stand out. (Blackman 13). Furthermore the new change in style lead to a new change in behavior. Flappers attitude in society began to change, they were more independent. Due to the World War I victory Americans could
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