chapter_13_section_2_notes.ppt | |
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File Type: | ppt |
Changing roles for women in the 1920s
As the world shifted from focusing on the war to resuming "normalcy" (according to Harding) , the changes the war brought became very noticeable and many people realized life would never be the same. When men had gone off to war in the 1910s, women had taken their places in factories and businesses. Over the four years of the war, women had become used to earning a living outside the home in a variety of different types of professions. Many women did not want to leave their jobs when soldiers came back. In addition, the death of so many men during the war forced some women to continue supporting their families without the help of a man. The struggle to decide whether women would return to their old ways of life or to keep on with their newfound independence was a major focus of the 1920s. Women that wanted to keep this independence tended to come from urban areas, were younger, dressed more provocatively, and engaged in behaviors (drinking, smoking, casual sex) that previous generations viewed as being not very ladylike. These women became referred to as flappers, and their actions became widely covered by the media, must to the dismay of traditional, church - going citizens.
1920s Life
This has information from the end of Chapter 12, Chapter 13 Section 1, and Chapter 13 Section 3... but it spends more time on Chapter 13 Section 2 than anything else... the changing role of women in American society.
Flappers
This 3 and a half minute video does a good job summarizing how some women began to challenge traditional norms.
The most famous flapper of all time
This 8 minute cartoon is typical of what would have been seen in a movie house back in the early 1930s before a feature film as part of a moviegoers overall experience. It depicts Betty Boop as a teenager of a modern era, at odds with the old world ways of her parents. In the cartoon, after a disagreement with her parents, Betty runs away from home, accompanied by her boyfriend Bimbo, only to get lost in a haunted cave. A ghostly walrus sings Cab Calloway's famous song "Minnie the Moocher", accompanied by several other ghosts and skeletons. This haunting performance sends the frightened Betty and Bimbo back to the safety of home. Many of Betty's other cartoons are a bit more sexually charged, which was pretty new and provocative for the time. She typically wore short dresses, high heels, a garter, and low cut, tightly fitted blouses. In many of her cartoons, male characters frequently tried to sneak peeks at her while she's changing or simply going about her business.