killed so many young men, and without a suitor, a lot of women were left to provide for themselves, a step they had already taken during the war when they entered the work force.
As Women were becoming financially independent, they could now make themselves heard. The Suffragettes had finally won, with the Nineteenth Amendment ratified in 1920. They had the right to vote; they would also take control over their body and their own fertility. Margaret Sanger lead the way, as one of the first women to understand that in order to
make life better and safer for them, they had to be able to choose when to have a child and when not to conceive. Getting to that point was difficult. Their ideas were constantly rebuked in the name of women being inferior legally, physically and intellectually to men. Therefore, they adhered to reckless behavior and extreme fashion, wore excessive makeup, smoked, drank and went to parties and movies, where they took cue from film icons such as Clara Bow, Louise Brooks, and flapper socialite diva, Zelda Fitzgerald. For the first time ever, they were taking responsibility for their own existence, and demanded
the same acceptance as men in society. They broke some of the biggest taboo barriers with the liberation of sexual mores, dangerously maybe, but surely and blatantly. To the same purpose, gays and lesbians made a tolerated appearance with males and females exploring their sexuality.
As opposed to the silenced woman of the previous eras, she screamed
her independence and fought for it. She chose activities to please herself, not a father or husband, but she did not
succeed everywhere she tried. In many religious faiths, she is still considered the property of a man, and in some political views, she is still a second-class citizen. But, no matter the way she chose to break free, she did leave an indelible imprint on future generations. Though many people still think
it’s possible to hush women and put them back in the shackles of restrictive male domination, it’s not going to happen! There will always be women ready to fight against repression. As a woman, had I lived in that era, I would have been a Flapper, and maybe an activist too—though I don’t think I could trade my computers, smartphones and all of today’s technology (which I’m so reliant on as a geek), for even such a carefree, fun era!
Yes, the Jazz Age was attractive for those who could afford that life style.
The Twenties abound with facts, firsts, discoveries, people pushing the limits of science, ethics and morals.What we enjoy today as a freewilled woman—which we often take for granted—came in part from what the Flappers revolted against.
There is so much more to that decade to explore. I encourage you to investigate on your own, and discover the extraordinary lives of the Flappers and activists of the Twenties, and what we owe them.
In the meantime, women, be kind to each other. We are all beautiful and powerful. Diversity is exciting. If we all looked like skinny flawless super-models, life would be boring! Be strong, safe and healthy!!!
by Al Mohymont
53 | Ceres Magazine | Oct/Nov 2015
Fur Coat Lady by Ricardo (Rick) Cancino