The Great Gatsby: Context: Flapper Girls

The Great Gatsby: Context: Flapper Girls

Overview

• The term “Flapper” was used in the 1920s to describe a new type of young woman: assertive, confident, and rebellious.

Social Change

• The Flapper era (1920s) was a time of significant social change, with women pushing societal boundaries and demanding more freedom.
• The Flapper girls often challenged conventional norms of what was considered proper for women. They bobbed their hair, wore short skirts, smoked and drank in public, and embraced a more liberated lifestyle.

Impact on Literature

• The presence of a new type of woman represented a major shift in American culture, and the Flapper girls had a significant impact on literature.
• Characters like Jordan Baker in the Great Gatsby embody the characteristics of the Flapper girls, epitomising independence, reluctance to settle down and a modern attitude toward gender roles.

Post-War Influence

• The social change involving Flapper girls was significantly influenced by World War I. Post-war, women needed to fill roles in the workforce that men had previously held.
• Their newfound economic independence allowed women to participate in activities previously deemed unsuitable, shaping the cultural emergence of the Flapper girl phenomenon.

Juxtaposition

• Flapper Girls, like Daisy Buchanan and Jordan Baker, represent the new woman in the 1920s and serve to highlight the contrast to more traditional female characters in the novel.

Criticism & Backlash

• Many people disapproved of the Flapper’s overt sexuality and blatant disregard for societal norms, viewing it as a decline of moral standards.
• Depictions of flappers in literature often demonstrate the tension between the older generation stuck in their ways and the younger generation eager for change.