The Modern Woman

Bailee Ashton

Mrs. Glick

Honors English 11

2/10/14

The Modern Woman

        The Roaring 20s were all about becoming someone, while separating yourself from the old and the making of a new life. Coco Chanel once stated, “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is the sky, in the street, fashion it has to do with ideas, the way we live, and what is happening.” The modern woman was considered to be a Flapper, and the designers of that time created the Flapper. The dictionary definition of a Flapper is a fashionable young women intent on enjoying herself and flouting conventional standards of behavior. A modern woman emerged from the 1920s society; she was ready for change while looking forward to freedom from corsets and tiring rules, making it the ideal era to be a thriving woman.

Coco Chanel or Gabrielle Chanel is known for the start of the flapper generation. She was born in Paris, France. Chanel has a trademark of simple and sophisticated suits (collarless jackets and with a well fitted shirt), the little black dresses, and pearls. Growing up, Chanel was known for her creativity and fashionable sense.  Chanel opened her first fashion boutique featuring clothing, hats, and accessories. Later she expanded to offer jewelry and fragrance. By 1927, Chanel owned an expanse of five properties on the rue Cambon (Baughman). Rather than using more fabric, Chanel used beads and embroidery to decorate her clothes. Chanel was able to find symmetry between the chest, waist, and butt.[pic 1]

        Flapper attire looks very light and easy to move in. Their dresses sometimes included fringe that would flow as they were dancing. Flapper dresses no longer showed off their womanly curves. They would try to flatten their chests in order to look more like a boy. This also inspired them to cut their hair short, also defying their parents. Dark eye shadow and eyeliner, powder, and lipstick became popular as well (Ross). George Orwell wrote in 1937 “The girl who leaves school and gets a dead-end job can still look like a fashion-plate for a pittance. You may have pennies in your pocket and not a prospect in the world, and only the corner of a leaky bedroom to go home to; but in your new clothes, you can stand on the street corner, indulging in a private daydream of yourself as Marlene Dietrich…”[pic 2]

It is said that jazz music created a spark that set this new way of life into motion and one large aspect to the jazz era was dancing. In order to dance women could not feel constrained by their clothing and therefore cut down on the amount they wore. Because it was the Jazz Era they began dancing for fun. They did dances such as the Charleston, Black Bottom, and the Shimmy. These dances were seen as wild to older generations.

Not only did women begin looking a certain way, they began to act differently as well. Women who were now known as flappers had a special attitude. They were known for their stark truthfulness, sexual behavior, and reckless behavior. They began smoking and drinking in a time where only men smoked and drinking was prohibited. People didn’t like seeing tipsy young ladies. They would carry hip flasks around for their convenience. Flappers also experimented with sexual activity. However this fast paced way of life soon came to an end. With the crash of the stock market and the entrance into the Great Depression, women had to slow down and the flapper era was forced to come to an end. Although the era did end, it did create a new way of life for women. In a way it created a modern woman (Ross).