When most of us think of the 1920s, one of the first images that pop into our heads is that of a young woman with a bob haircut wearing a short, loose dress and defined makeup. This distinctive fashion of the ‘20s is not purposeless; in fact, this trendy style reflects the many changes occurring in society post WWI and the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment.
The 1920s was a time of great social change, especially for women who were finally given the right to vote and were granted more educational and job opportunities. During this time, women gained empowerment and decided to express this newfound freedom through their fashion choices. Women verged from the norm of tight corsets and long skirts in favor of loose, boyish figured dresses with hemlines just above the knee. Additionally, women chopped off the traditional long hairstyle into a short bob and applied makeup, an act that used to be socially unacceptable.
To further demonstrate how fashion represents the times, we see a distinctive fashion emerge in the 1960s, a time in which there was an abundance of social movements. Emerging fashion like bikinis and pants acceptable for women became the norm. Also, the hippie culture greatly impacted fashion, making beads, chain belts, and moccasins popular.
What other aspects of culture do we see the impact of history and the changing of the times?
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ReplyDeleteI fully agree with your point about women emerging to freedom through fashion, voting, and job opportunities.Of course, this created some strong feeling among rural Americans, who were conservative and opposed to such change. We see this most evidently with the rise of the KuKlux Clan who opposed change. But many rural areas in general wanted to revert back to old, conservative ways of life.The 1920s was a revolutionary time for Americans and women especially. The shorter skirts did in fact rebel against the old corsets and long skirts, and showed a sort of women's liberation and freedom. Women felt more important and capable after their jobs in WW1, and this led to the movement you talked about above.
ReplyDeleteThe 1920s was one of the major times in America where women really began to define what they wanted from society and making it obvious to everyone. The number of job opportunities, the ability to vote, and the approved fashion for the time all were hard fought for and won by the women population. I find it even more interesting, however, that these same ideas are still being fought for today.
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