The New Woman in the Flapper Era
By: Joanna Strittmatter
Gene Austin “was one of the original crooners, and his tenor voice was well-known in the early days of radio of the 1920s” (“Handbook of Texas Online”). “My Blue Heaven” became one of his best-selling recordings during the flapper era. Not only is Gene Austin gifted in singing, but he is also talented in composing music. Jazz music, like Gene Austin, portrays the accented notes with offbeat melodies and the emphasis on saxophone instruments.
New dances were created as the rising of jazz music continued. This type of dance move included the swaying of both the arms and feet with a little hop in each step with an accompaniment to fast jazz music. This was very popular, specifically to the Flappers, which were fashionable young women during this era, hence the Flapper Era name that was later coined, where a flapper or groups of flappers would join together and dance as they enjoyed the beat of the music. In Arnold Shaw’s book The Jazz Age: Popular Music in the 1920’s, Louis Armstrong noted his fondness and the popularity of the Charleston stating “The Sunset [Café in Chicago] had Charleston contests on Friday nights, and you couldn’t get into the place unless you were there early…we would stretch out across that floor doing the Charleston as fast as the music would play it,” (Shaw 171).
With new jazz music from Gene Austin, and new dance moves like the Charleston, it was no surprise at the new upbringings of the role of the woman was one of the biggest social movements during this era. Women during this era were called the Flappers due to their new short hair styles, short skirts, drastic change in make-up, and their flirty attitudes. Women kept a shorter hairstyle during this time to keep up with fashion trends and to be able to fit fashionable hats on their head. Skirts were hemmed shorter to allow a greater movement variety in their dancing, but this also showed a less modest and conservative side of the new woman. Wearing corsets became the huge part of fashion sense where “the flat chested, hipless, boyish look was achieved only with much effort and some serious underpinning,” (Herald 15). Women started becoming more conscious of staying thin so they were able to keep up with new appearances. New attitudes began to formulate as well. Instead of the shy, conservative, and held back girl, there came this fresh attitude of “truthfulness, fast living, and sexual behavior” (Rosenberg 2). Women wanted to deviate from their former roles of only taking care of household work and children, and started doing things that previously, only men were allowed to do. For example, women were now able to vote due to the passing of the 19th amendment. Women also ventured out and played sports that were normally subjected to men only. Flapper women began taking risk and started drinking alcohol, as well as smoking. With the changes in women, music, and dancing, the younger generation quickly broke away from old values as they progressed into their new social movement.
In the 1920’s, a new lifestyle began forming for men and
women which revolved around the concept of how the youth rule. In this fresh
and new world, the youth showed social movement
by deviating and trying out all different kinds of new things, like an
altered fashion sense and a different sound of music, in order to accept the
new culture they were living in. Jazz music became the new sound of the youth. Jazz
music was very loud and had numerous accented notes to emphasis the offbeat
rhythms and eccentric melodies. The older generation did not accept this loud
and strange new music, but the youth not only accepted this jazz sound, but
also celebrated by creating new dance styles like the Charleston, Black Bottom,
and the Tango, which increased the popularity of jazz music. Big music names
like Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, George Olsen and His Music, and Gene Austin
are some of the few who influenced the popular culture of jazz in the 1920s.
Gene Austin “was one of the original crooners, and his tenor voice was well-known in the early days of radio of the 1920s” (“Handbook of Texas Online”). “My Blue Heaven” became one of his best-selling recordings during the flapper era. Not only is Gene Austin gifted in singing, but he is also talented in composing music. Jazz music, like Gene Austin, portrays the accented notes with offbeat melodies and the emphasis on saxophone instruments.
New dances were created as the rising of jazz music continued. This type of dance move included the swaying of both the arms and feet with a little hop in each step with an accompaniment to fast jazz music. This was very popular, specifically to the Flappers, which were fashionable young women during this era, hence the Flapper Era name that was later coined, where a flapper or groups of flappers would join together and dance as they enjoyed the beat of the music. In Arnold Shaw’s book The Jazz Age: Popular Music in the 1920’s, Louis Armstrong noted his fondness and the popularity of the Charleston stating “The Sunset [Café in Chicago] had Charleston contests on Friday nights, and you couldn’t get into the place unless you were there early…we would stretch out across that floor doing the Charleston as fast as the music would play it,” (Shaw 171).
With new jazz music from Gene Austin, and new dance moves like the Charleston, it was no surprise at the new upbringings of the role of the woman was one of the biggest social movements during this era. Women during this era were called the Flappers due to their new short hair styles, short skirts, drastic change in make-up, and their flirty attitudes. Women kept a shorter hairstyle during this time to keep up with fashion trends and to be able to fit fashionable hats on their head. Skirts were hemmed shorter to allow a greater movement variety in their dancing, but this also showed a less modest and conservative side of the new woman. Wearing corsets became the huge part of fashion sense where “the flat chested, hipless, boyish look was achieved only with much effort and some serious underpinning,” (Herald 15). Women started becoming more conscious of staying thin so they were able to keep up with new appearances. New attitudes began to formulate as well. Instead of the shy, conservative, and held back girl, there came this fresh attitude of “truthfulness, fast living, and sexual behavior” (Rosenberg 2). Women wanted to deviate from their former roles of only taking care of household work and children, and started doing things that previously, only men were allowed to do. For example, women were now able to vote due to the passing of the 19th amendment. Women also ventured out and played sports that were normally subjected to men only. Flapper women began taking risk and started drinking alcohol, as well as smoking. With the changes in women, music, and dancing, the younger generation quickly broke away from old values as they progressed into their new social movement.
Work Cited
"AUSTIN,
GENE," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fau06),
accessed November 19, 2012. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
AUTOR
SHAW, ARNOLD. The Jazz Age: Popular Music in the 1920's. New York, New
York: Oxford University Press paperback, 1987. 171. Print. http://books.google.com/books?id=MECLMrzcC9kC&printsec=frontcover&dq=the
1920s jazz age
book&hl=en&sa=X&ei=VeWqUJj7OpTJqQG394Bg&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA
Herald,
Jacqueline. Fashions of a Decade: The 1920s. New York, New York: Bailey
Publishing Associates Ltd., 2006. 15. Print. <http://books.google.com/books?id=aKiQGDS4_EUC&printsec=frontcover&dq=the
1920s jazz age
book&hl=en&sa=X&ei=t-SqUIr9McfErQGThIDICw&ved=0CEUQ6AEwBw
Rosenberg,
Jennifer. "Flapper Attitude." Flapper Attitude. 2. Print.
<http://history1900s.about.com/od/1920s/a/flappers_3.htm>.
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