Hailey Harris
11/11/12
US History

1920’s Women Some traditional roles of women were cleaning, cooking, and taking care of their children. They would be courted by men for marriage and would live under the success of their husbands. During the 1920’s, flappers began to change this stereotype. Flappers are emancipated young women who embraced the new fashions and urban attitudes of the day. They would wear felt hats, bright dresses without a waistline that came an inch above the knee, tights that were skin toned and made of silk, pumps, and beaded necklaces. Most flappers died their hair black and cut it into boyish bobs. Flappers became more assertive than the generations before them. They wanted equal rights to the men, so they began smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol publicly, and would talk openly about sex. They also changed dance types. The fox trot, camel walk, tango, Charleston, and the shimmy became highly popular. Men changed their minds about women, and began looking for a marriage that was equal. However, taking care of children and housework were still considered a woman’s duties.
Flappers were not excepted by most of society. Magazines, newspapers, and advertisements loved the image of flappers and highly promoted it, however, elders and those born before the flappers viewed it as a sign of rebellion. The attitudes and actions of many young people were not the same as the flappers, but the society thought of flappers as the whole