1920 FLAPPERS By Tiernay Jackson

BEFORE THE “ROARING 20’S”

Women's’ styles have been very uptight and proper. Women wore floor length dresses, long hair, no make up and corsets… Ideal style in 1900 called Gibson Girls

AFTER WWI

Americans wanted to rejoice and redefine themselves

Rejected the past

Led to new lifestyles and social values

DEFINE A “FLAPPER”

•Young women in the 1920’s who rebelled against tradition •Author F. Scott Fitzgerald describes flappers as ―”Lovely, expensive and about 19” •One dictionary says ―Giddy, attractive, slightly unconventional, somewhat foolish girl full of wild surmises and inclined to revolt against the precepts and admonitions of her elders‖.

LIFE AS A FLAPPER

•Wild partying

•Smoked cigarettes and drank alcohol –unheard of if you were a woman! •Lived reckless lives and clung to youth •Flappers were the first of the women to flaunt their sexuality •Their lifestyles were shown in the way that they dressed and danced

THE “LOOK”

Wore heavy make up

Clothes: a dress just below the knee, stockings, heels no corset

The look was influenced by Coco Chanel

Gender bending—tightly wrap their chest to flatten it

The ―Tube‖—Lower hipline and straight from shoulders to hem

FLAPPER HAIR

•―The Bob‖ is the famous hair of the 20’s.

•Cut very short in the back and a bit longer in the front.

The Cloche Hat: Fit snuggly over short hair and reached the eyebrows

LEADING INTO MORE INDEPENDENT 25% women worked outside the home

Automobiles

New social values

Voting rights

Open discussion about sexuality saying it’s “Healthy and Normal”

ENTERTAINMENT

Drinking Drinking was a favorite pastime of the flappers. Before 1920’s, only men would drink publicly

Seen as ―Giddy Flappers‖ due to drunkenness

Many carried a flask

Dancing Charleston, Black Bottom and the Shimmy

In the 1920’s, a new woman was born. She smoked, drank, danced and voted. She cut her hair, wore make-up, and went to wild parties. She was giddy and took risks.

Betty Boop was the first ever Flapper cartoon. Showing all the characteristics and flashy sex symbols of a racy 1920 Flapper.