Fashion and Culture among American Women in the 1920s
Fashion and Culture among American Women in the 1920s
There are many types of people in the world today. The past has shown how the fashion has changed. Each era has their own different style and fashion. The twenties was a particularly wild decade. After WW1, it was a time for change. “Women became rebellious and shocked everyone by their new style and morals”(Louise brooks Society, 3). Women before the twenties were more conservative and were obligated to act like ladies. The rising of music like jazz gave women motivation to be individuals and have fun. Dances like the Charleston had an influence on women in the twenties. Cutting hair and exposing skin was rare considering women in the past had never been daring or even thought about being rebellious like this. Women in the twenties were very different than traditional women in society.
Women’s fashion changed a lot in the twenties. The fashion went from “ladylike” to more daring. The typical woman in the twenties is considered to be a flapper. “No longer confined to home and tradition, the typical flapper was a young woman who was often thought of as a little fast.” (Louise Brooks Society, 1). They wore short skirts and dresses exposing their knees and ankles. People were shocked when women began to dress in clothes that exposed skin. “It offended the older generation because they defied the acceptable feminine behavior” (Louise Brooks Society, 1). The older generation felt that the behavior and fashion of the flapper was unacceptable. They felt women should stick to traditional clothing and fashions. Changing morals and values were unacceptable. The cloche hat, getting it’s name from the French word for "bell", became a necessity for daytime wear. “The small hat fit snuggly over short hair and almost reached to the eyebrows”(Heath,28). It was often decorated with a pin in the front or a ribbon.
To the rest the world, accessories seemed like a collage from history. “A craze for the styles of the World War I aviators took over the flapper world as girls introduced leather helmets, colored scarves, goggles, and leather jackets” (Stein, 2). “Shoes and jewelry often reflected a craze of the court of King Tutankhamen” (Heath, 8). Earrings, bracelets, and necklaces often were an example of the presence of the Art Deco, Cubtist, and African art movements. The fashion in the...