Flappers, 1920s

Flappers in the 1920's were referred to a "new breed" of young women who wore short skirts, bobbed hair, and listened to jazz music, and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered acceptable behavior. They were seen smoking, drinking, wearing makeup, treating sex in a casual behavior, driving automobiles, and voted. If she took risks and was giddy, she was a flapper.

The female wore their hair loosely on top of her head and wore a straight skirt with a high collar shirt. She was feminine but broke through several gender barriers for the attire allowed her to play golf, roller skating, and any other sports.

When WWI started, many young men were being used for cannon fodder for an older generation's ideals and mistakes. The attrition rate in the trenches left few with hope that they would survive long enough to return home. They found themselves inflicted with an " eat-drink-and-be-merry-for-tomorrow-we-die spirit. They raised them and faced with the reality of death, many searched (and found) extreme life experiences before they entered the battlefield.

When the war was over, many survivors went home and tried to return to normalcy.

The women then went into the workforce. They were anxious to get back to routine after the war. The women did not date, they waited til the proper man paid her interest, with teh intentions of marriage. But many young men died in the war, leaving the women without possible suitors. The women were not going to waste time but they were going to enjoy life.

The flapper image included shocking changes in clothing and hair. Articles of clothing were trimmed down and lightened in order to make movement easier. Women also tightly wound their chest with strips of cloth in order to flatten it. The clothes were also dropped to the hipline. She also wore stockings in which they rolled over a garter belt. Skirts fell just below the knee and hair was cut into a "bob" and the hair was slicked down and had a curl on both sides of the face.

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flapper

http://history1900s.about.com/od/1920s/a/flappers.htm

Lauren Bray