The 1920's are often seen as the birth of modernism and industrialization, often referred to as the Jazz Age. It was a time of change in many respects. The image of the American culture was being redefined. Society was altering with more focus on the leisure industries. Hollywood came alive and so did the actresses. With all the changes going on in American society there was also a shift in the power between the genders and a distance between the generations began to appear. This occurred due to the emergence of a new type of woman, the flapper, but was she the symbol of the 1920's American women?

The flapper was a product of the great changes, which occurred after World War One.

Before the 1920's many women had focused on the suffragette movement and been involved in a number of women's groups. However after the nineteenth amendment was passed many women began to lose interest in politics and the suffragette movement. Organizations and groups began to splinter. Their main objective had been reached; they had won the right to vote now each group had different items on their agenda, some groups expressed their disgust over the items which other group'

http://www.odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/H/1990/ch7pg6.htm accessed 09/01/01

http://www.geocites.com/soho/studios/6930/flapper.html accessed 02/02/01

Another type of woman in the 1920's was the writer. Emily Post achieved fame in 1922 when her book 'Etiquette'. The book told that members of the American Society should not lose its manners especially in the changing times. She found the flappers disgusting and thought that they were the worst examples of the female form that had ever existed. They had a lack of manners and respect for themselves and ours around them who were subjected to their appalling behavior. She was a combination of the college women and the businesswomen. She had the education to write the books and the entrepreneur skills to get her work in to print.

As the flapper was successfully transferred from the screen to the street, does this mean that the flapper was a symbol of American women in the 1920's?

Evans. S "Born for Liberty; A history of Women in America" (1997, Simon and Schuster, New York)

Some common words found in the essay are:
Jazz Age, Irving Fisher, Clara Bow, College Women, Sweetheart Vamp, American Society, World War, France United, Professional Businesswomen, Modern Housewife, symbol 1920's, jazz age, mainstream society, american society, women 1920's, symbol 1920's american, flappers symbol, college woman, college women, american women, 1920's america, symbol american women, 1920's american society, american women 1920's,
Approximate Word count = 2018
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)