The Roarin’ 20’s. The time after WWI when Americans started a party so wild that it lasted for a decade. Life became better for everyone, especially women, who had recently gained newly found rights, such as voting, as a result of women’s suffrage. Because of this newly found freedom, a new type of girl emerged on the streets: the Flapper.

            The complete definition of the term “wild child,” Flappers would smoke, break rules, wear short hair (bobs) and skirts, and go out with men and do wild things. The term “flapper,” originating in England, referred to girls who were in the “in-between stage” and had long, skinny bodies, which required a special type of dress, called “flapper dresses.” The average age for a flapper was about 19, and they tried to stay that age for as long as possible. Flappers wore more makeup and less clothing than normal girls, and they had scandalous reputations, making them very popular with boys, fairly popular with other girls, and not popular at all with parents. Their clothing was based off of designs by Coco Chanel, and the bell-shaped hats that they wore were called cloches. Flappers enjoyed living on the edge and partaking in many new fads, such as dancing to jazz music. Jazz music, being a relatively new and unique form of music, was quite unpopular with adults, which naturally made it more popular with teenagers. Some of the more popular dances were the “Charleston” and the “Shimmy.” Dances like these helped flappers to flaunt their sexuality, which they did as much as possible. One reason for this was because so many young men had died in the war that women actually had to go out and find men in order to prevent a potential generation gap. This different style of dating did nothing if not to add to the growing amounts of confidence and influence that women were gaining during the 20’s.

            Though probably not the citizens America is most proud of, flappers were a large part of both the 20’s and American history. Once the Great Depression started, flappers pretty much disappeared because people could no longer afford to spend money on fancy clothes, parties, alcohol, or even cigarettes. However, that doesn't mean that female independence died out with them. The flappers were so influential that they led to the creation of the modern women today. They were the first women to exercise their newly gained independence, so who could blame them for going a little over the top?