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Women of the 1920’s: the True Beginning of Women’s Liberation

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Women of the 1920’s: The true beginning of women’s liberation
Amy K. Breitkreitz
HIS204: American History Since 1865
Instructor Cora Dunaway
December 22, 2014

The 1920’s presented America with some very turbulent times and issues. The true beginning of women’s liberation began during these eras; from women entering the workplace, to being awarded the privilege to vote and stepping out into the social scene causing eyebrows to be raised by their actions. The women of these eras did not realize it then, but they were laying the foundation for American women in the future to become independent, as well as political and workforce pillars in American society. The brave women of the 1920’s suffered great injustices, but persevered to become some of the greatest women in American history in all aspects of life such as politics, marriage, jobs and self-expression.
Women who were referred to as flappers started the change in self-expression. Some were considered rebellious by their peers, mostly the older generation, due to their newfound scantily clad bodies and what were considered actions that challenged the morals put in place by society; the flappers transformed what was considered the proper woman into her own person. The less clothing, the shorter the hair, the heavier the makeup the better (Bliven, 1925). In my opinion, it was as time of women breaking free from the molds of what society thought they should be; a time of finding who they were, or letting loose and having fun. Bliven (1925) explains the carefree attitude of women and their attire when stating, “Not since 1820 has feminine apparel been so frankly abbreviated as at present; and never, on this side of the Atlantic, until you go back to the little summer frocks of Pocahontas.”
While the women known as flappers were seeking individualism and starting something that would grow to give

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