This was the image of the new revolution. The rebellion has started. She smoked. She drove an automobile. She drank. She partied, and also wore excessive makeup. She was the new "breed" of woman. This was a shock to most of the people of this time, because women never acted out in this kind of manner before. During this time of the US, the Volstead act was enacted in this era. It shocked most people in this era, since most of the people that were shocked, were from the last era that was so classy in the sort of way that you never acted any different way that made you stand out.
The reason why this topic of the “New Woman” was brought about was for the fact of consumerism. Consumerism is a social and economic order that encourages the purchase of goods and services in ever-greater amounts. So taking this into context, the flappers used their ability to be show stopping women, putting on nightly shows at the speakeasies, to not only make the men buy more alcohol, but also to bring about prostitution and partying into the deal, for the right price of course. This is shown in a lot of the original 1920’s films.
This brought up the Volstead act from 1920 to 1933. The speakeasies would sell alcohol to the normal people that just wanted a drink for the right price, and the flappers would be the performers that would put on a show for the gentlemen. Prostitution was also a factor of the flapper lifestyle, treating sex in such a casual manner for everyone.
This, of course, was not a factor for everyone. The flapper image was also a rebel symbol, like the flag of the southern confederates, the flapper image was telling everyone that I am a rebel and I am not going to stand for what you have to say, I am going to do what I feel like doing. Traditional women, that were feeling like they were getting the short end of the stick, tried overturning the original Victorian era roles that most of the women were “expected” to do in the homes while their husbands were at work. The flapper was a huge part of the role of women, and they accepted the fact of personal choice when they were comparing old values.
The reason why this topic of the “New Woman” was brought about was for the fact of consumerism. Consumerism is a social and economic order that encourages the purchase of goods and services in ever-greater amounts. So taking this into context, the flappers used their ability to be show stopping women, putting on nightly shows at the speakeasies, to not only make the men buy more alcohol, but also to bring about prostitution and partying into the deal, for the right price of course. This is shown in a lot of the original 1920’s films.
This brought up the Volstead act from 1920 to 1933. The speakeasies would sell alcohol to the normal people that just wanted a drink for the right price, and the flappers would be the performers that would put on a show for the gentlemen. Prostitution was also a factor of the flapper lifestyle, treating sex in such a casual manner for everyone.
This, of course, was not a factor for everyone. The flapper image was also a rebel symbol, like the flag of the southern confederates, the flapper image was telling everyone that I am a rebel and I am not going to stand for what you have to say, I am going to do what I feel like doing. Traditional women, that were feeling like they were getting the short end of the stick, tried overturning the original Victorian era roles that most of the women were “expected” to do in the homes while their husbands were at work. The flapper was a huge part of the role of women, and they accepted the fact of personal choice when they were comparing old values.