Flapper’s Legacy

Samuel Adams

Ms. Bardin

2nd hour Ap-Language

1 February 2015

                                Flapper’s legacy

Many women celebrated the age of the Flapper as a female declaration of independence. New jobs, look, and life style launched and gave a liberating feel for women in the twenties. Even though the Victorian age fought for their right to vote, Flappers just wanted to have fun and didn’t care for politics.

The word Flapper is used to label the young women who defied the social norms of the Victorian age. These Flappers were middle class women who worked at an increasing rate as clerking and operator jobs had become more prevalent. Flappers often visited late night jazz clubs and shows after work. Smoking and drinking became popular for the first time for women ironically during the decade it was outlawed by prohibition. Many flappers engaged in these activities to help remove the social double standards of women. Instead of staying at home and cooking dinner, Flappers sought to ignore the status quo and to do what they want. Driving also became increasingly popular in women during the twenties. The image of women was changing dramatically in the age of the Flapper.

The Flapper had an unmistakable look. They had their hair cut to shoulder length and normally had their “spit curls”. Whish was just hair curled by using spit to prevent it from uncurling. Flapper’s apparel consisted of their famous long dresses that usually ended around the length of the knee. Hollywood's "it girl" Clara Bow impersonated the Flapper look and influenced most on the style itself. 

The age of the Flapper ended abruptly when the stock market crashed in the late 1920's and lead to the Great Depression. Any Flappers that tried to continue the life style went broke as the economy crashed. The Flapper age was over and so was the Feminist movement. The independent ideas of the Flappers would not pick back up until the “feminist revival of the 60’s”.