The Flapper In American Youth Culture

The flapper represented the “modern woman” in American youth culture in the 1920s, and was epitomized as an icon of rebellion and modernity. Precocious, young, stubborn, beautiful, sexual, and independent, the flappers’ image and ideology revolutionized girlhood. The term “flapper” originated in England to describe a girl who “flapped” and had not yet reached maturity. The term “flapper” is a slang word. It references a young bird flapping its wings and learning how to fly. Middle-class, white, adolescent girls embraced the symbol of the flapper and the development of change and innovation. It is important to note not all young women embraced the flappers’ rebellious movement, and continued to adhere to traditional pre-World War I
These young women typically exerted little personal power and embraced masculine ideas about femininity. In contrast, the new young women of the 1920s favored individualism and personal fulfillment. Some adults attempted to understand the flapper mindset. For example an education journal editorial dated November 1929, states “Flapperism is a state of mind. It is a stage of development. It is a half-way point between callow immaturity and competent adulthood. It is a period, in modern life, at which youth feels the integrity and the possibilities of his personal self.” Society personified the youth rebellion as a period in time in which youth were seeking self-sufficiency and self-realization. However, with that said, adults rejected the flappers and defined them as immoral, ill-mannered and sexually
Flapper fashion personified the free women, favoring moveable and loose fabric. The flapper dress was boxy and hung straight from shoulder to knee, with no waistline, allowing much more freedom of movement than women's fashions before the 1920s. The dress did not show breasts or hips. Young women typically taped down their breasts to further equalize themselves with men. However, flapper fashion did show a lot of leg, and the just-below-the-knee length horrified many of the traditional generation. A flapper used her clothing and appearance to perpetuate desirability and flaunt her status as a symbol of expensive luxury. The lack of modesty and vanity was equated to the “downfall of society”. However, flapper fashion was