The Flappers defined social and sexual behavior, as well as style, for the Roaring Twenties. After the death and destruction of World War I, young people were disillusioned. They reacted with cynicism to the traditional values of their elders, finding Victorian/Edwardian standards of propriety and morality hypocritical. Women's Suffrage was achieved in 1920. With increasing liberation, growing numbers of women went to college and entered the workplace. Nonconformist conduct and clothing gained momentum; gender roles were in a state of flux. For the first time, women presented themselves as sexual beings. "The world broke in two in 1922 or thereabouts . . ." thought the Pulitzer Prize winning novelist, Willa Cather. Social and sexual liberation entered the middle class mainstream with the Flappers.

1920s Flappers were the epitomes of modernity. They were androgynous, working women who paradoxically had the sexual appeal of sirens. Make-up was worn; heretofore, it had been the exclusive domain of prostitutes and actresses. Pale skin, bright red lips, and owl-ringed eyes made a startling statement. Flappers adopted boyish "bobbed" hair and often colored it jet black. As the decade progressed, "shingled" and "marcel-waved" hair styles became popular. Defying convention, Flappers smoked tobacco using long holders and openly drank alcohol, particularly daring during 1920s' Prohibition. When darkness fell, 1920s' Jazz clubs were the haunts of Flappers, who danced provocatively wearing rouge on their knees.

Flask in Garter

Women Must Not Smoke!

By Law, Your Bathing Suit is too Short

Flappers’ decadence in behavior was matched by their come-hither style of dress, derived from shocking moves such as the Charleston Dance that accompanied "Jazz Age" music. Spirited dancing and increasing participation in outdoor sports brought about the end of corseted constraints from the Victorian/Edwardian periods. Bras became new commodities as they replaced corsets; pantaloons were discarded in favor of panties. Waistlines migrated to the hips on Flappers' dresses, which were unconstructed. Rising hemlines bared the leg; rayon stockings were worn with garter belts. In the mid-twenties, Parisian couturiers introduced the "garconne" tomboyish look with flattened bust and hips. Ready-to-wear manufacturers easily mass-produced the boyish look which was adopted by Flappers.

Accessories "jazzed" up Flappers' matching ensembles. Foreheads were usually covered by hats, turbans, or headbands; hats evolved from over-sized to close-fitting during the era. The cloche, bell-shaped and helmet-like, was designed to be worn with "bobbed" or "shingled" hair. Newly bared legs were accented by shoes cut lower on the foot; stylish handbags, called "pochettes," were small. Due to Coco Chanel's influence, costume jewelry became fashionable for the first time. Long ropes of pearls were ubiquitous, as well as multiple bracelets. The Flappers were symbols of women’s greater freedom to adorn themselves and behave as they wished.

Racoon Coat

I Drive Myself!

Everything is Jake---We have our Glad Rags

The Flappers’ look was even adapted by older women in a subdued form. Never before had young women been copied by older women. Clara Bow, nicknamed the "It" girl for her "je ne sais quoi," brought the Roaring Twenties' Flapper to life on the big screen. Other actresses of the day who personified the style include Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, and Bebe Daniels.

Bibliography

"Eulogy on the Flapper," Collected Writings, Zelda Fitzgerald, Author, Matthew Bruccoli, Editor, Little, Brown & Co., 1992

Fashion and Its Social Agendas: Class, Gender, and Identity in Clothing, Diane Crane, University of Chicago Press, 2000

Flapper: A Madcap Story of Sex, Style, Celebrity, and the Women Who Made America Modern, Joshua Zeitz, Crown, 2006