World War One
World War One was a wake up call for the whole world and changed every single American, but the impact it had on the younger generations of Americans was the most significant. This generation contained the majority of the men who went over to Europe to fight, along with a massive amount of people who lost someone they loved because of the war. This is why after the fighting had ended the younger generation changed. The young men and women in America became reckless. They stopped listening to their heads, and instead began to listen to their hearts along with their hormones. Why? Because in light of the war and the suffering it had caused them, this group of Americans realized that life was short and that it could be taken away at any moment. Unanimously young men and women decided that they wanted to live their lives' to the fullest. They no longer wanted to follow the plan that their parents, or society for that matter, created for them. They wanted to control their own lives and live how they wanted too. And typically the type of life that they wanted to live, was incredibly different and promiscuous compared to the lives that generations before them had lived. Below are two quotes that describe the change that the rest of the country observed in the young men and women of the country.
- Quote from "Canonizing the Flapper": “(the younger generation) Found out, out of their own unhappiness, the war taught them, what peace couldn't teach us- that when conditions are evil it is not your duty to submit- that when conditions are evil, your duty, in spite of protests, in spite of sentiment, your duty, through you trample on the bodies of your nearest and dearest yo do it, through you bleed your own heart white, your duty is to see that those conditions are changed. If your laws forbid you, you must change your laws. If your church forbids you, you must change your church. And if your God forbids you, why then, you must change your God" (Vanity Fair, 1922).
- Mr. Buel Boyd of the University of Kentucky shared his views on the young people of the era in 1922, with The Literary Digest's article, "The Case Against the Younger Generation", and described the 1920's as an, " An "open season" in morals, "we see our friends and companions, both male and female, doing things and talking liberties that would have been horrified them even to have thought a few years ago." The war, he believes, caused a "warping of the moral fiber" by giving the younger generation "a spirit of freedom, self-reliance and self-esteem bordering close on recklessness." He observes: "That spirit did not die with the war, but outliving it is still a part of each of us... Frankly speaking the war gave us young folk the swell-head" (Personal Glimpses: the Case Against the Younger Generation). [To see more from this article visit our Public Image page, it is the article on that page.]
Women's Suffrage
The passage of the 19th amendment in 1920 was a major victory for the women of the early twentieth century. It finally made them the equal of men in politics, and gave them a freedom that they had tried to win for years. When women were finally given this right along with the freedom that came with it, they wanted more. Women in the younger generations didn't want to settle down and become wives and mothers right after they graduated from high school. And some questioned if they ever wanted to follow in the steps of the generations of women before them. Instead they wanted to live on their own for a while; they wanted to go to college, to get a job, to have fun, and live their dreams. And above all else they wanted to experience the same things that the men in their generation were. And they felt like their new found right to vote, gave them the ability to since they were the finally the equals of men in one aspect of American culture.
The Younger Generation
“The youth of the world to-day are hunting for truth more than they were twenty years ago, and they are interested in non-material objectives of life because world events compel them to that kind of interest."
~Dr. William E. Gardner, "The Flapper as a Religious Force", The Literary Digest, May 19, 1923
"The reason is that boys and girls are naturally curious- about themselves and about each other."
~Alice F. Parker, "The Case Agaisnt the Younger Generation" The Literary Digest, June 24, 1922
~Dr. William E. Gardner, "The Flapper as a Religious Force", The Literary Digest, May 19, 1923
"The reason is that boys and girls are naturally curious- about themselves and about each other."
~Alice F. Parker, "The Case Agaisnt the Younger Generation" The Literary Digest, June 24, 1922
~Morals
A big factor in the wild behavior of flappers, was the morals of their generation. When compared to the rest of Americans the younger generation, people who were in their late teens and early twenties, were awful. They had lower morals along with a different set of standers to live by, and their new lifestyle shocked the rest of the nation.
The generation of Americans that flappers were apart was restless. After experiencing the horrors of World War One they wanted to do nothing but live their lives the way that they wanted to. That way they wouldn't face something that terrified them even more then another war; becoming their parents. These men and women were in constant motion trying to get enough done, before they got too old. One young man said, “Have a good time while you are alive, for you are dead a long time." And one of hie classmates shared, “Enjoy yourself while you are young” (The Literary Digest, 61). This was the primarily the generation who was going out and drinking, dancing, or partying all night long. And the values of their generation was a major influence on flappers. The idea that life was one big party until you reached a certain age, and that you had to go, go, go all the time to "live enough before you got too old", was a guiding principal in the lives of many flappers. Their sense of restless lead to more reckless and dangerous behavior, and contributed to the negative view that the older generation viewed them in. The idea that they had a limited amount of time to live their life was not the not the only characteristic of their generation that effected flappers. Men were also a major part.
~Men
Through out the site the "lower morals" of flappers, and the younger generation overall, has been mentioned in several areas. It was not only mentioned as one of the factors that lead to the development of flappers, but also as one of the main complaints of their critics. This blanket statement refers to all aspects of the lifestyle of flappers, but specifically to their sexuality. Starting at the turn of the century men's expectations of what they wanted to do with women changed. Men became more liberal in what they wanted to do with women when they were left alone. F. Scott Fitzgerald documented the change in men's expectations in his first novel This Side of Paradise, through the actions of his main character, Armory Blaine, and the rest of the characters in the story. Fitzgerald perfectly shows this in one scene in the book when he shares Armory's inner feelings; “He wanted to kiss her, kiss her a lot, because he knew he could leave in the morning and not care”(91). Latter on in the same scene Armory shares with the girl that he is chasing after “We've reached the stage where we either ought to kiss- or-or nothing” (Fitzgerald 92). And this change in young men forced young women to change too. Why? Because according to Mr. R.M Budd young American men, "Will not go out with a girl for any period of time unless she permits him to caress her." ("The Case Against the Younger Generation" 40). In the same article Mr. Budd also admitted that the change in the flappers' morals were not just the fault of women: "But do not permit me to convey the idea that girls are entirely to blame. The fellow today" ("The Case Against the Younger Generation" 40). He then went on to explain how young men contributed to the decline in the morals of young women, proving that critics knew that men were part of the problem.
A big factor in the wild behavior of flappers, was the morals of their generation. When compared to the rest of Americans the younger generation, people who were in their late teens and early twenties, were awful. They had lower morals along with a different set of standers to live by, and their new lifestyle shocked the rest of the nation.
The generation of Americans that flappers were apart was restless. After experiencing the horrors of World War One they wanted to do nothing but live their lives the way that they wanted to. That way they wouldn't face something that terrified them even more then another war; becoming their parents. These men and women were in constant motion trying to get enough done, before they got too old. One young man said, “Have a good time while you are alive, for you are dead a long time." And one of hie classmates shared, “Enjoy yourself while you are young” (The Literary Digest, 61). This was the primarily the generation who was going out and drinking, dancing, or partying all night long. And the values of their generation was a major influence on flappers. The idea that life was one big party until you reached a certain age, and that you had to go, go, go all the time to "live enough before you got too old", was a guiding principal in the lives of many flappers. Their sense of restless lead to more reckless and dangerous behavior, and contributed to the negative view that the older generation viewed them in. The idea that they had a limited amount of time to live their life was not the not the only characteristic of their generation that effected flappers. Men were also a major part.
~Men
Through out the site the "lower morals" of flappers, and the younger generation overall, has been mentioned in several areas. It was not only mentioned as one of the factors that lead to the development of flappers, but also as one of the main complaints of their critics. This blanket statement refers to all aspects of the lifestyle of flappers, but specifically to their sexuality. Starting at the turn of the century men's expectations of what they wanted to do with women changed. Men became more liberal in what they wanted to do with women when they were left alone. F. Scott Fitzgerald documented the change in men's expectations in his first novel This Side of Paradise, through the actions of his main character, Armory Blaine, and the rest of the characters in the story. Fitzgerald perfectly shows this in one scene in the book when he shares Armory's inner feelings; “He wanted to kiss her, kiss her a lot, because he knew he could leave in the morning and not care”(91). Latter on in the same scene Armory shares with the girl that he is chasing after “We've reached the stage where we either ought to kiss- or-or nothing” (Fitzgerald 92). And this change in young men forced young women to change too. Why? Because according to Mr. R.M Budd young American men, "Will not go out with a girl for any period of time unless she permits him to caress her." ("The Case Against the Younger Generation" 40). In the same article Mr. Budd also admitted that the change in the flappers' morals were not just the fault of women: "But do not permit me to convey the idea that girls are entirely to blame. The fellow today" ("The Case Against the Younger Generation" 40). He then went on to explain how young men contributed to the decline in the morals of young women, proving that critics knew that men were part of the problem.
Changes in the Values of Women
"Women have highly resolved that they are just as good as men, and intend to be treated so. They don't mean to have any more unwanted children. They don't intend to be debarred from any profession or occupation which they choose to enter. They clearly mean (even though not all of them seem to realize it) that in the great game of sexual selection they shall no longer be forced to plat the role, simulated or real, of helpless quarry. If they want to wear their heads shaven, as a symbol of defiance against the former fate which for three millennial forced them to dress their heavy locks according to male decrees, they will have their way."
~Bruce Bliven, "Flapper Jane", New Republic, 1925
"They smoke and drink, that is, a great number of them, as tho it were nothing, and staying up the whole night to dance… The fellows might be to blame for the bad habits of the girls, because they encourage them, more or less, and the young fellows to-day are much more social than they were fifty years ago.”
~John G. Seabright, "The Case Against the Younger Generation", The Literary Digest June 24, 1922
“None of the Victorian mothers… had any idea how casually their daughters were accustomed to be kissed.”
~F. Scott Fitzgerald, This Side of Paradise, 1920
~Bruce Bliven, "Flapper Jane", New Republic, 1925
"They smoke and drink, that is, a great number of them, as tho it were nothing, and staying up the whole night to dance… The fellows might be to blame for the bad habits of the girls, because they encourage them, more or less, and the young fellows to-day are much more social than they were fifty years ago.”
~John G. Seabright, "The Case Against the Younger Generation", The Literary Digest June 24, 1922
“None of the Victorian mothers… had any idea how casually their daughters were accustomed to be kissed.”
~F. Scott Fitzgerald, This Side of Paradise, 1920
There is no doubt that the values of young women in the 1900's drastically changed as the century progressed. Things that their mothers' had never dreamed about doing became normal behavior, and they transformed their lifestyle to fit America's new urban culture. This overall (change) was caused by the one thing that they wanted most of all; independence. They wanted to be treated as the equal of men, not their subordinate. Which is one of the reasons why they started drinking and smoking when they went out to parties, since those were two activities that men normally did. One critic shared, "It seems to be necessary for women to imitate the vices of men in order to prove actual equality with him" ("The Case Against the Young Generation" 60). And this statement was true, because young women knew that if they didn't drastically change their image that society would never view them as the equal of men. Flappers also began to focus on themselves and do the things that brought them pleasure, like going out to dance at night and going on dates with me.