What Are Flapper Girls?

The term "flapper" and the women it was used to describe are part of the bygone era that reached prominence in the 1920s. But the fashion, frame of mind and trends that were first associated with flappers still influence us today and are worth a closer look. Does this Spark an idea?

The Flapper Chapter

The slang term "flapper" first started in the days after World War I. This period in our history there was a lot of cultural and political activity, coupled with a European cultural exchange that was booming since peace had been achieved. The term "flapper" is a reference to a young bird, flapping it's wings in preparation to take flight and leave the nest. The modern woman of the '20s was like this bird, preparing for a freedom and future hereto for unavailable to them until that time.

As the 1920s began, a time referred to in the history books as "the Roaring Twenties" societal changes were redefining the feminine principle decades before modern feminism or women's liberation would take sway. At this time women in the West started to latch on to jazz music, bobbed hair, short skirts, makeup and other new and appealing societal offerings previously unavailable.

The Great Gatsby and Beyond

It was not long before popular culture was echoing and illustrating flapper fashions. The great American novelist, F. Scott Fitzgerald detailed aspects of flapper culture, most notably in the character of Daisy Miller in his classic novel "The Great Gatsby."

Films also latched on to the flapper mystique, and international movie stars like Josephine Baker, Clara Bow, Louise Brooks and Joan Crawford came to fame as flapper icons. In dance halls, ballrooms and living rooms across America it was common in the 1920s to find flapper women embracing jazz music and dancing in jerky rhythms as faddish dance crazes developed around them. The Charleston, the Jitterbug and the Shag were among the many flapper inspired dances born from swing jazz music.

Fashion and Fame

Flappers had an influence on fashion. From high heels and short skirts with silk lace and corsets, to art deco hats, horn-rims and caps. The bob cut and similar short and boyish cuts caught on like wildfire and are still popular today. The use of blush and mascara, and deliberately pale skin also became all the rage due to the flapper influence. Old Betty Boop cartoons exemplify a lot of the playful roles the flapper fashions played in the popular culture of the 1920s.

A Way of Life

To a large extent, the flapper culture was more than a fad; it was a mindset and an empowering trend for women seeking the kind of independence denied them previously. Many early feminist voices emerged during this time period, and personal freedoms emerged that were not available to women before. Smoking cigarettes, for instance, was a much more rebellious act back then, and many flappers chose to smoke as an act of defiance against cultural norms. Traditional ideas of sexuality were also challenged by flappers, and playful ideas of hedonism, previously only enjoyed by men, were now practiced by woman in this era, too.