Sunday, January 10, 2010

The Twenties Woman

1. Note two ways women's fashions changed.
During the 1920's, women began wearing clothes such as tight fitting felt hats, high-heel shoes, bright colored dresses above the knees, and skin-toned silk stockings as opposed to the old ankle-length dresses and petticoats of Victorian times. They also lost their long hair in exchange for a new shorter look that they often dyed jet black.

2. Note two ways women's social behavior changed.
Women began seeking equality with their male counterparts and asserted this desire by drinking in public, smoking cigarettes, and discussing sex openly which would have wrecked their public image a few years earlier.

3. Note two words that describe the attitude reflected by these changes.
Assertive and rebellious

4. Note one way women's work opportunities improved.
Women's work opportunities improved when the thriving economy created new jobs that women could fill in places like offices, factories, and stores. These jobs included secretaries, typists, store clerks and office-machine operators as the recent boom in big businesses required new clerical workers.

5. Note two ways women's home and family life improved.
Women's home and family lives changed when new technological advances created household appliances that made household labor much easier and social changes like the appearance of the local supermarket introduced things like ready-made clothes, sliced bread, and canned foods.

6. Note three negative effects that accompanied women's changing roles in the 1920s.
Not all changes during this time period were positive ones however, as adolescents became more rebellious and began resisting parental control similar to the flappers who rebelled against society and this caused many family problems. These new rebellious women also caused many people such as those used to the prior traditions of the late 19th and earlier 20th centuries to frown upon and disapprove of their actions. This created a dissociation between the older and younger generations of women. The birth-rate also dropped substantially during this time due to new innovations in contraception and this was also looked down upon by people such as church leaders and ardent Catholics who did not believe in birth control.