It was a black-originated dance named for the harbor city of Charleston, South Carolina. It was introduced in the U.S. by a 1923 tune called "The Charleston" by composer/pianist James P. Johnson which originated in the Broadway show Runnin' Wild, and became one of the most popular hits of the decade. At first, the steps started off with a simple lazy twisting of the feet, but when the dance hit Harlem, it became a fast kicking step, swinging feet both forward and backward. Thus, the dresses of the flappers got shorter and loose to accommodate those dance moves. The constrictive corset had no place on women’s bodies anymore.
If Jazz and such dances as the Charleston, the Shimmy, the Bunny Hug, and the Black Bottom were provocative, so was women’s fashion. They wore baggy dresses which many times exposed arms and legs from the knees down, which was simply appalling to the elders. The fashion aspired toward a more practical outfit, and more masculine appearance. Curves were hidden under clean straight lines, chests
were bound to give the breasts a more flattened appearance, and to complete the look, women smoked cigarettes through long holders, rode bicycles, drove cars, played sports, and openly drank alcohol, just as the men did.
Women were called Flappers mainly for what they wore—although they are many other
explanations for the word Flapper itself, from a young prostitute before the 1900’s in England, to a less derogatory teenager who had not yet been promoted to wearing adult clothing and her hair up beginning of the 20th century, to a rebellious and reckless “social butterfly” in the 20’s, it still
remains mainly associated with the dresses.
The dress was functional and the shape can be summed up as knee-length—for the first time in centuries, women's legs were seen with 1920 skirts were nine inches off
The Fashion
Portrait of a young woman in full flapper fashion of the 1920s. Photo by American Stock Archive/Archive Photos/Getty Images.
The Flappers
Actress Alice Joyce, 1926.
The Dresses
Flappers had their own slang:
“Snuggle pup” meant a man who frequents petting parties.
“Barney-mugging” meant having sex.
“Seeing a man about a dog” often meant going
to buy whiskey.
“Handcuff” or “manacle” was an engagement or wedding ring.
“That’s so Jake”, “that’s the bee’s knees”, “the cat’s meow” or “cat’s pajamas” were phrases to express approval.
1922 U.S. Newspaper articles list the words “junk”, “necker”, “heavy necker” and “necking parties” as contemporary flapper slang.
15 | Ceres Magazine | Oct/Nov 2015