The New Woman Essay

Submitted By ruthforan
Words: 1028
Pages: 5
Open Document
“My candle burns at both ends; It will not last the night; But ah, my foes, and oh, my fiends- It gives a lovely light.”
This extract from ‘A Few Figs from Thistles’ by Enda St Vincent Millay illustrates almost perfectly the image of the 1920s ‘Flapper Girl’. After the war in 1914, when the American female population reinvented themselves following having to take over all male roles, as most men were participating in the First World War. The emergence of this New Woman would mean society would never be the same.
Firstly the visual aspect of the Flapper Girl was unrestricted and masculine; their fashion expressed the New Freedom that women everywhere were all too eager to enjoy. From the nineteen and a quarter yards of fabric used to cover a woman in 1913 to the mere seven yards in 1928: which consisted of a thin frock over a brassiere, a pair of knickers and silk stockings. The absence of a corset from the woman attire highlights the changes in behaviour, as before they would have been arrested for not wearing one but post-1920s refused to wear them as a sign of their new found independence. Instead of accentuating the bosom as it had been previously, chests were flat and often bound. Women also began to see cosmetics as ‘affordable indulgences’; this was evidenced through the sharp rise in beauty salons: 750 beauty salons in New York in the 1920s to 40,000 nationwide in 1930. Womens’ hair became bobbed and bleached and everyday essentials for women included lipstick, rouge, nail varnish and powder. Other appearance differences included low heels, knee length skirts, and loud jewellery; Women were no longer obliged to look a certain way and so took advantage of this. The message to women was that they were constantly on display – and it was their job to make the best of themselves with these newly affordable products in their grasp.
Additionally pre-1920s drug takers were seen as dirty, unkempt, sly and invasive- and certainly not women. However in the twenties the most darling accessory was a tiny gold box containing cocaine worn dangling from a thin necklace. Also smoking was seen as a helpful slimming aid, this increased cigarette sales by 300% as youthful, slender, androgynous figures were what was desired and this was achieved by strict dieting and exercise as well as by drugs and nicotine. As woman valued their bodies to the extreme, pregnancy was an unflattering indignity. Pregnancy pre-1920s was considered a natural state because bearing children was seen as a woman’s primary role in life but attitudes had changed and so birth control options hit an all-time high. Diaphragms were illegally imported from Germany and Holland, women bought ambiguous items labelled ‘feminine hygiene’ and men asked their doctors to prescribe condoms for their health. Contraceptive methods freed the women, allowing them to experiment with sex before marriage without the risk of pregnancy. It freed them from the stereotype that a woman’s job was primarily child-bearing and being a mother; allowing them to feel like individuals and not the product for their family and husband. However, when dealing with motherhood, attitudes to raising their children greatly transformed as children were given more attention and affection and were encouraged to express their personalities. Obedience was valued before whereas, in the twenties independence was thought higher of.

Before the 1920s, you would not have seen any respectable female entering a saloon. Saloons were automatically associated with whisky, uncouth and masculine behaviour. Therefore without entering a saloon, she was highly unlikely to drink anywhere else. However after 1920, this whole idea was abolished, as illicit drinking
Show More

Related Documents: The New Woman Essay

Gender Roles In Dracula

her beginning. Stoker was one of the first authors to respond to the introduction of ‘The New Woman’ and in doing so touched upon many anxieties of the Victorian era involving her desire of independence,…

Words 917 - Pages 4

Essay on Dracula and Mina

2 April 20, 2015 The New Woman in Dracula The typical description of a woman has drastically changed from what is was decades ago. The transition from the man having the major role and the women underlaying in the background to her having a more distinct role in the story. The different depictions of the woman in different decades also has to do with how they are seen. If they are not the typical woman, they are looked down upon by the men. This transition to a "new woman" is seen in Bram Stoker's…

Words 865 - Pages 4

Women's Rights In The 1800s

history, being that of teachers, mothers, and even rulers. Woman have grown and changed threw many years. Woman in the late 1800’s were strong and independent earning their rights and equality, they were given rights to own property, woman were earning own wages, and they had some rights to their children in a divorce. In the early 1800’s woman were not given rights to any property of their own only men were allowed to own property. Woman could never have their own property, even if they were not…

Words 802 - Pages 4

Paper 1

Leach’s New Capitalist Culture: Equality in the Department Stores Historian William Leach, in The Land of Desire, argues that a new culture developed in the United States after the Civil War into the early twentieth century, shaped by capitalism. A part of this new culture, Leach claims, is the “democratization of desire” (Leach, 3). An idea that now everybody could desire whatever they wanted, there was no social class limit on what you could want. Leach’s claim suggests that this new equality…

Words 1357 - Pages 6

Toyota Camry Case

Extra Credit Camry/Black Woman 1. I would say that this campaign is operating in an informational reference group, to inform the African American woman about the Toyota Camry. 2. The American Core values they are trying to tap in to are the African American successful woman and the reliability of purchasing a good car such as the Toyota Camry. 3. The values and aspirations that the campaign taps into are those of the African American woman and the reason why she purchases every other midsized sedan…

Words 375 - Pages 2

Essay about Hoobla Hoobla

When God was a Woman In the book “When God Was a Woman” author Merlin Stone illuminates how the god of early mankind was a woman. She backs her theory with archeological evidence and historical facts. She makes multiple claims about her work to try and persuade the reader that god was a woman. Stone talks about Mother Earth and how the creation of life is associated with women, but states that this was not always how people viewed woman. She goes on to discuss the sculptures from prehistoric…

Words 938 - Pages 4

Industrial Woman or Pioneer Woman Essay examples

Industrial Woman or Pioneer Woman Women have played a big role through history. Often during different time periods the roles women played were given names. Two examples include the Industrial Women and the Pioneer Women. Both names give way to what area of the United States these women were located. Industrial women were located in the northeastern part of the United States while Pioneering women were in the mid-west. Although both sets of women played drastically different roles they helped shape…

Words 671 - Pages 3

Essay on Health & Social Care

Without these caring skills and techniques, the maternity ward shouldn’t be a negative area as this could have a negative effect on the woman, women are better with a tranquil atmosphere to avoid distress as a negative one wouldn’t benefit the woman who would have to stay on the ward for a certain period of time and this could cause further distress for the woman. Observation Observation involves collecting certain information about clients such as weighing them. Observation skills help to evaluate…

Words 2600 - Pages 11

Fitzgerald Flapper In The 1920's

Fitzgerald Flapper Starting in the 1920's women's roles were soon starting to change. This was the time of the flapper, one of our biggest cultural icons in the 1920s, made a coming out. This so called “new woman" put an end to not only our traditional victorian woman, but also to the somewhat new Gibson girl. But we all ask, where did she come from? Before World War I, the women in the America mostly still behaved and dressed like proper young women. But it all change. During World War I labor…

Words 944 - Pages 4

Essay on Durring World War 2

when the demand for more weapons and soldiers increased. War world two had a big impact on woman roles. It effected how woman lived their lives because of the new economic opportunities war world two introduced to the world. Women took over many important male roles in factories, and helping men with the front line, thinking it would lead them to a life of glamour. While the war continued, the need for woman in world war two grew. They were needed around the world to help allied countries as nurses…

Words 343 - Pages 2