History V. Hollywood In The 1920's
History Vs. Hollywood: The Roaring Twenties was a time of jazz and flappers and good times, however, other aspects of the twenties life were arduous and troublesome. The youth of America was lied to by the government and their parents during the 1910s and World War I. With the reintroduction of the car, the youth rebelled against their parents and standards previously created. Other minorities also began to change. The women of the 1920’s wanted more rights, which they received when Congress amended 19th Amendment to the Constitution in 1920. When women gained the right to vote, they had more freedom than ever. Another aspect people do not think about in the Roaring Twenties was the innovation of the radio. The radio connected the disillusioned youth, women, and all minorities and the majorities together. The radio was enjoyed by nearly every household, and it also entertained them(Sterling). In 2002, director Rob Marshall combined the important topics of the 1920’s into the musical titled
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Chicago. The movie Chicago accurately portrays the impact of loosened morals on youth culture, the effect of the 19th Amendment on the independence of women, and the effect of the radio on a new consumer culture.
The young of the world will always be the ones to challenge society. In the 1920’s, the youth movement changed the traditions of the old world and directly challenged their parental upbringings. The youth were disillusioned by the first World War, so they tried to create a new world where everyone was equal. The younger generation rebelled against Prohibition, which was the outlaw of alcohol in the 1920s. The young women of the 20s created a new woman called a flapper. A flapper was a woman who directly challenged authority. Although the women created more change in the American society during the 1920’s, both genders began the sexual revolution. The first steps to changing the morals of society were hard, but the young people of the 1920’s fought for their goals. The disillusionment of World War I greatly impacted the youth of America to rebel against their elders cultural beliefs during the Roaring Twenties which caused a shift in the moral culture of the youths.
The youth of the United States of America was upset by the outcome of the first world war. People were expecting heroes to come home with tales of glory, but what they received were sick, tired, and wounded men. Unsatisfied, the youth began to forget their beliefs surrounding the war. The young people of America were troubled by what their reality was and sought to change it. They thought old-fashioned traditions were holding the nation back from becoming better (Carter). When the younger citizens tried to fix the society, they felt the war and their elders ruined, the elders were appalled at the changes. According to Modern Youth, “the older generations had certainly pretty well ruined this world before passing it on to us”. The growing resentment from adults caused the younger generation to break more rules and resist the social norms.
The youth were not only rebelling against the war, but they were also defying sexual norms. In the 1920s, the automobile was reinvented by Henry Ford. According to Carter, the car is credited with giving the youth of the nation the drive to change the laws of society. Parents could no longer supervise their children because the car allowed young people to get away from home. According to Lynd, “the automobile have lifted this taboo [boys and girls were not allowed to sit together], and once lifted, it is easy for the practice to become widely extended” (qtd. in Carter). Faced with curfews, they would sneak into their cars, and find a party to go to. The automobile gave young people a new way to rebel against the traditional ways of life (Carter). The challenge of traditions continued with the changing ideals of marriage and dating.
In the article Flappers, Fashion, and a New Morality, in traditional marriage young ladies needed to be pure and could not kiss or have sex before marriage, and the men had no expectations for them. Traditional marriage was no longer desired, and so the young people came up with the practice of petting. Petting is when a man and woman drove out together and engaged in kissing for long periods of time (Allen). The act of kissing became an “indoor sport” as people did it so often (Allen). When asked about the topic of petting, one young lady at the time said,“I’ve kissed dozens of men, I suppose I’ll kiss dozen more” (qtd. in Allen). The women of the twenties were dedicated to challenging their elders beliefs and petting was one example of the rebellion. Sex for pleasure at the time had received negative connotations. The youth of America in the 1920’s decided it was time to innovate the ideas about sex. The young people's goals were to make people feel okay and open on the topic of sex, as previously it was not okay to discuss sex. According to Sanger, an expert who lived during the 20s, the youth must clean the wrong ideas about sex and fix them. By achieving reformation of the ideas around sex, the youth created a new moral code which would be used and adapted for the many years after the sexual revolution a direct stand against elders norms and beliefs.
The sexual revolution caused the beginning of the flapper, which was a new type of women who challenged the social norms. Flappers revolutionized the way women behaved and dressed. According to the documentary The Flapper Story, the word flapper came from the shoes flappers wore. The shoes were called galoshes, and the women who wore them would not buckle the lowest buckle, which caused the shoes to flap. One step in the change of morals for women was smoking. Smoking in public became the thing to do. Although it was normal for people to smoke, the elders were shocked to see a woman smoking in public locations, as the elders were raised not to do so (Lazin). Another reflection of women’s loosening of their morals was the transformation of their appearance. Women’s skirts slowly rose to just above the kneecap, and flappers ditched their Victorian corsets and pantyhose. By changing their appearance, flappers achieved a figure which represented more of a man’s (Allen). The flapper contributed the biggest changes to society, even though they were the smallest group (Lazin). Every young person wanted to experience life like the flappers. The flappers strived to live without rules, which was what the younger generation craved. The creation of flappers was a sign of the changing youth population and culture of the 1920’s.
The younger generation embraced other new ideas and opportunities, including music and dance. Jazz music gained popularity, which led it to become the most popular music in the 20s. Jazz music was generally played by African Americans and was danced to by whites (Lazin). Even though the generation was progressive, most of the youth population did not care about equal rights of the races. The young people only went to clubs or speakeasies to experience a good time (Allen). They way to have a fun time was to dance to jazz music. The Charleston was the dance craze of the 20s generation. The bodies in the clubs got closer and closer until the people were glued at the hip (Allen). According to Lazin, “Footloose and fancy-free the flapper lived for the moment”. Since the music led to parties, the partying youth started to try new things like alcohol.
1920 through 1933 was the era of Prohibition.
During prohibition, drinking in public was a crime against the government, and citizens found guilty were fined. According to the documentary The Flapper Story, before Prohibition, the majority of the youth society thought getting drunk in public was a taboo. The younger population knew it was stupid to get drunk because of the consequences from their parents (Sifakis). However, once the Prohibition began, it became a dare to get drunk (Lazin). Speakeasies and clubs quite often had alcohol available for the young people, since located at the parties were bootleggers, or salesmen of alcohol (Sifakis). Alcohol or gigglewater, the slang for alcohol used by flappers, was known for making the parties longer and more enjoyable (Lazin). According to Sifakis, the American society consumed at least 100 million gallons of alcohol during Prohibition. Prohibition, the law to end all drinking, gave the youth another belief to challenge and
change.
Both the adults and the youth of the 1920’s were disillusioned and expected different things when the war ended. However, the adults did not realize the younger generation had the drive to change and challenge different aspects of life. Whether it was dancing, clothing, or dating, the youth wanted to live their lives as they wanted and no cultural norms would make the younger generation stop. Moral aspects of life were changed by the sexual revolution which the youth created. The younger generation had a new standard of living which differed from their elders beliefs. Like the youth of the 20s, the women of the Roaring Twenties were also dedicated to living their lives they desired.
Chicago. The movie Chicago accurately portrays the impact of loosened morals on youth culture, the effect of the 19th Amendment on the independence of women, and the effect of the radio on a new consumer culture.
The young of the world will always be the ones to challenge society. In the 1920’s, the youth movement changed the traditions of the old world and directly challenged their parental upbringings. The youth were disillusioned by the first World War, so they tried to create a new world where everyone was equal. The younger generation rebelled against Prohibition, which was the outlaw of alcohol in the 1920s. The young women of the 20s created a new woman called a flapper. A flapper was a woman who directly challenged authority. Although the women created more change in the American society during the 1920’s, both genders began the sexual revolution. The first steps to changing the morals of society were hard, but the young people of the 1920’s fought for their goals. The disillusionment of World War I greatly impacted the youth of America to rebel against their elders cultural beliefs during the Roaring Twenties which caused a shift in the moral culture of the youths.
The youth of the United States of America was upset by the outcome of the first world war. People were expecting heroes to come home with tales of glory, but what they received were sick, tired, and wounded men. Unsatisfied, the youth began to forget their beliefs surrounding the war. The young people of America were troubled by what their reality was and sought to change it. They thought old-fashioned traditions were holding the nation back from becoming better (Carter). When the younger citizens tried to fix the society, they felt the war and their elders ruined, the elders were appalled at the changes. According to Modern Youth, “the older generations had certainly pretty well ruined this world before passing it on to us”. The growing resentment from adults caused the younger generation to break more rules and resist the social norms.
The youth were not only rebelling against the war, but they were also defying sexual norms. In the 1920s, the automobile was reinvented by Henry Ford. According to Carter, the car is credited with giving the youth of the nation the drive to change the laws of society. Parents could no longer supervise their children because the car allowed young people to get away from home. According to Lynd, “the automobile have lifted this taboo [boys and girls were not allowed to sit together], and once lifted, it is easy for the practice to become widely extended” (qtd. in Carter). Faced with curfews, they would sneak into their cars, and find a party to go to. The automobile gave young people a new way to rebel against the traditional ways of life (Carter). The challenge of traditions continued with the changing ideals of marriage and dating.
In the article Flappers, Fashion, and a New Morality, in traditional marriage young ladies needed to be pure and could not kiss or have sex before marriage, and the men had no expectations for them. Traditional marriage was no longer desired, and so the young people came up with the practice of petting. Petting is when a man and woman drove out together and engaged in kissing for long periods of time (Allen). The act of kissing became an “indoor sport” as people did it so often (Allen). When asked about the topic of petting, one young lady at the time said,“I’ve kissed dozens of men, I suppose I’ll kiss dozen more” (qtd. in Allen). The women of the twenties were dedicated to challenging their elders beliefs and petting was one example of the rebellion. Sex for pleasure at the time had received negative connotations. The youth of America in the 1920’s decided it was time to innovate the ideas about sex. The young people's goals were to make people feel okay and open on the topic of sex, as previously it was not okay to discuss sex. According to Sanger, an expert who lived during the 20s, the youth must clean the wrong ideas about sex and fix them. By achieving reformation of the ideas around sex, the youth created a new moral code which would be used and adapted for the many years after the sexual revolution a direct stand against elders norms and beliefs.
The sexual revolution caused the beginning of the flapper, which was a new type of women who challenged the social norms. Flappers revolutionized the way women behaved and dressed. According to the documentary The Flapper Story, the word flapper came from the shoes flappers wore. The shoes were called galoshes, and the women who wore them would not buckle the lowest buckle, which caused the shoes to flap. One step in the change of morals for women was smoking. Smoking in public became the thing to do. Although it was normal for people to smoke, the elders were shocked to see a woman smoking in public locations, as the elders were raised not to do so (Lazin). Another reflection of women’s loosening of their morals was the transformation of their appearance. Women’s skirts slowly rose to just above the kneecap, and flappers ditched their Victorian corsets and pantyhose. By changing their appearance, flappers achieved a figure which represented more of a man’s (Allen). The flapper contributed the biggest changes to society, even though they were the smallest group (Lazin). Every young person wanted to experience life like the flappers. The flappers strived to live without rules, which was what the younger generation craved. The creation of flappers was a sign of the changing youth population and culture of the 1920’s.
The younger generation embraced other new ideas and opportunities, including music and dance. Jazz music gained popularity, which led it to become the most popular music in the 20s. Jazz music was generally played by African Americans and was danced to by whites (Lazin). Even though the generation was progressive, most of the youth population did not care about equal rights of the races. The young people only went to clubs or speakeasies to experience a good time (Allen). They way to have a fun time was to dance to jazz music. The Charleston was the dance craze of the 20s generation. The bodies in the clubs got closer and closer until the people were glued at the hip (Allen). According to Lazin, “Footloose and fancy-free the flapper lived for the moment”. Since the music led to parties, the partying youth started to try new things like alcohol.
1920 through 1933 was the era of Prohibition.
During prohibition, drinking in public was a crime against the government, and citizens found guilty were fined. According to the documentary The Flapper Story, before Prohibition, the majority of the youth society thought getting drunk in public was a taboo. The younger population knew it was stupid to get drunk because of the consequences from their parents (Sifakis). However, once the Prohibition began, it became a dare to get drunk (Lazin). Speakeasies and clubs quite often had alcohol available for the young people, since located at the parties were bootleggers, or salesmen of alcohol (Sifakis). Alcohol or gigglewater, the slang for alcohol used by flappers, was known for making the parties longer and more enjoyable (Lazin). According to Sifakis, the American society consumed at least 100 million gallons of alcohol during Prohibition. Prohibition, the law to end all drinking, gave the youth another belief to challenge and
change.
Both the adults and the youth of the 1920’s were disillusioned and expected different things when the war ended. However, the adults did not realize the younger generation had the drive to change and challenge different aspects of life. Whether it was dancing, clothing, or dating, the youth wanted to live their lives as they wanted and no cultural norms would make the younger generation stop. Moral aspects of life were changed by the sexual revolution which the youth created. The younger generation had a new standard of living which differed from their elders beliefs. Like the youth of the 20s, the women of the Roaring Twenties were also dedicated to living their lives they desired.