
Appearances: bobbed
hair, short skirts, bright
colors, high healed shoes,
makeup

Behaviors: drove cars,
flirted, danced, socialized
with men for fun/not
marriage purposes,
drink, smoke, “pet”
It is rather futile to analyze flappers…
They are just girls – all sorts of girls. Their
one common trait being that they are
young things with a rather splendid
talent for life.
 F. Scott Fitzgerald



northern, urban, single,
young, middle-class
women.
Many held steady jobs in
the changing American
economy
› Telephone operators
› Sales clerks
› Typists


chose activities to please
themselves, not a father or
husband
Tried to fight the “double
standard”

semi-flapper; the flapper; the superflapper

Do you think the semi-flapper agreed
with the behavior of the super-flapper?
Silent film star
 “epitomized
flaming youth – the
girl who lived by
her heart, not her
head”
 Made
$5,000/weekhighest paid
female actress

How does the flapper demonstrated the
conflict between old and new?
 Should the flapper be considered a
feminist?
 Are there any “flappers” today?

The Charleston
 The Lindy Hop
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYp
pP2x-V-I


Challenged notions of “proper
behavior”
› “PARTIES, GAMBLING, BATH TUB
GIN”
High school & college
enrollment increased
 College students epitomized
“youth culture”

› Glorified in the movies
› Advertisers used
Turn of the century 60 hour work week –
in the 1920s 45 hour work week
 higher wages (30% increase in some
areas), but inflation remained relatively
low

What
does this mean for many
Americans???
800 stations by 1929

in 1922 - 40 million Americans
attended movies, by 1930 115 million
1927 – first talkies
~25-35 cents
reaching over 10
million homes
By 1929 about 40%
of American
households had
radios

Baseball
› Babe Ruth
› $1

Football (especially college)
› NFL “Red” Grange

Boxing
› Jack Dempsey
Baby Ruth Candy Bar (1920)
Wonder Bread (1920)
Yoo-Hoo Chocolate Drink (1923)
Reese's Peanut Butter Cup (1923)
Welch's Grape Jelly (1923)
Popsicles (1924)
Wheaties (1924)
Hostess Cakes (1927)
Kool-Aid (1927)
Peter Pan Peanut Butter (1928)
Velveeta Cheese (1928)
(Source: Bon Appetit magazine),

By 1929 a $3
billion industry
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
cU2pR9rT39c

Flagpole Sitting
› Alvin “Shipwreck” Kelly
Dance Marathons
 People doing stupid things for
attention!
 Cross word puzzles, Reader’s
Digest

viewed disdainfully by an
older generation as “wild,
boisterous and disgraceful.”
 Trying to be like men
 Hurt wages for men & in
careers not suited for them
 criticized for lack of activism

› Suffragists of the previous
generation

Concept of a “woman’s place” expanded

Women wore clothing more convenient for activity and stopped wearing long
skirts and corsets.

Women had more time because of modern technology

The number of working women increased by 25 per cent.
›
15% of white & 30% of black married women worked

Divorce was made easier and the number of divorces doubled - women were
not content just to stay at home and put up with bad husbands.

Not all women were flappers, many criticized this “new woman”

Most married women were still housewives and were not as free as their men.


Only 15% white married women worked outside home; 30% African American
Most working women were poorly paid and were employed in roles such as
cleaners or waitresses.
Document
Part 1
Flapper
Part 2
Flapper
New Freedom
and the Girls
– Plus Pic
The New
Woman
Catholic
Crusade –
Plus Pic
Summary
What it reveals about attitudes toward women in
the 1920s
Document
Summary
Part 1
Flapper
(both) different types of flappers – bobbed hear, powder nose, bright
clothing, shoes, skirts DO NOT smoke, drink, wear rouge, pet –
DIFFERENT TYPES: super, flapper & semi
overlook our shortcomings (parents) – requires intelligence to be a
flapper
blame war & prohibition for our behavior – Never talk to us about it!
Remember how hard teen years were? We actually more developed
than you!
We have the universe at our finger tips (new inventions) – give us
confidence not distrust
Part 2
Flapper
War impacted our faith – times made us older and more
experienced than you
let us put our knowledge to use – work with us!
Need help but no one to turn to but other youth because you
constantly criticize us!
Deserve to be in a profession/life that suits us – otherwise living a
tragedy
Be young with your kids, undestand them, talk to them
New Freedom
and the Girls
– Plus Pic
New clothing great for women – less cumbersome – however
leading to male riots! Women in NY wearing short sleeved before
other areas
bathsuits are one pieces!
Doctors and women and admires think this is good – only people
with issue are catholic church and textile industry!
Shows reform happened to better women not befcause of laws but
in spit of police and politics!
The New
Woman
Women abusing their new voting & educational “equality” – trying to
become like men
marriage no longer chief goal – even though that best suits
personality traits
going into professions too “nervous” to handle – also hurts wages for
men
What it reveals about attitudes toward women in
the 1920s