My little Fascination with Flappers

Over the years, as I've searched for creative ways to express myself, borrowing from the Flapper aesthetic became somewhat of a past time for me.  Like many women who love fashion, and glamour, there was (and still is) something about Flapper fashion that I find so appealing.  Although, I have the exact opposite of the ideal figure to pull the Flapper look off, I was determined to shape my hair in finger waves, draw on thin eyebrows, and paint cupid-bow lips. With authentic 1920s gowns in short supply, I wore vintage slips instead, slinky gloves, and layered on those pearls.  I knew much less about Flappers back then, then I do know.  However, the more I have studied their history, the more I realize there is to love.

That's me on the left at a Speakeasy club in Hollywood 

Bricktops Speakeasy, Hollywood 2005

Although my attempts at a Flapper fashion statement were sweet and well-meaning, Vogue magazine has done a MUCH better job of interpreting and depicting the alluring Flapper aesthetic through the exquisite and genius lens of the revered, Steven Meisel

Gorgeous fashion editorials aside, modern day perception of what a Flapper was really about, remains relatively hazy.  Thanks to cliched halloween costumes, many of us can't help but envision a generic, fringed mini-dress, a feather-plumed sequined, head-band and a fake string of pearls.  This simply doesn't do our 20th century, budding feminist of that era, any justice at all.  So I am here to elaborate, demystify and clarify what a Flapper really was, and why she resonates with modern women of today.

The fact is, a true flapper was a bona fide rebel.  Victorian etiquette, which had dominated previous generations, had dictated that proper ladies should have long hair, plaited or in a chignon.  Waists must be tightly corsetted, and your neck, ankles, and wrists (my dear), were to remain completely covered at all times.  Proper ladies did not wear cosmetics, did not smoke, did not drink, and most certainly did not go out dancing, unchaperoned with strange gentleman.  

Flappers didn't truly emerge until 1926. The young women at this time, who consciously chose to defy past cultural norms, were considered quite scandalous.  Flappers defined themselves by their actions and their appearances.  Before it became socially acceptable and popular, a blossoming flapper made her defining statement, by chopping off her long hair; trading it in for a chic, bob.

During a time when, it was believed that only prostitutes wore cosmetics, the Flapper, threw caution to  the wind! She would tweeze her brows to a thin arch, rim her eyes in smudged black kohl eyeliner, caked on the mascara, and wore vampy red lipstick.

She stopped wearing restrictive corsets, preferring light-weight, shape-less dresses that revealed her neck, arms, and *gulp* her legs!  Most hemlines stopped just below the knee (which is modest by today's standards, but at the time, was perfectly shocking!)  Flappers loved Jazz music, frequented underground speakeasies, and often danced the night away.  Many, but not all, were fond of carrying flasks, breaking prohibition law by drinking, and took up smoking from long cigarette holders.

Beyond the make-up, the fashion and outward appearances, the Flapper culture represented a significant evolution of a woman's role in society.  Young women were, for the first time in history, driving fast automobiles, dating whomever they chose, pursuing careers, and most importantly- voting.

I personally believe that the Flapper continues to hold time-tested allure, not only because of her glamorous outward appearance, but because, we as women recognize her in ourselves.  A Flapper epitomized a reckless rebel;  a woman who questioned traditions of the past, and embraced new ways of thinking and living.  When we see movies, or pictures of Flappers, I think we should all be inspired, and reminded of what the Flapper emergence was truly all about: an independent woman. A writer. An artist. An individualist. Most importantly, whomever she wanted to be.