Youth Culture of “The Flappers”

Running head: YOUTH CULTURE 1
Youth Culture
Name
Institutional Affiliation

YOUTH CULTURE 2
Youth Culture of “The Flappers”
Flapper is a term used to describe a generation of young women who depicted unique
characteristics in the 1920s after the World War I. The flappers were characterized by short
dresses, their love for jazz music and a flagrant display of behavoiur that was generally
considered unacceptable. The origin of the term “flapper” is not clear and some scholars have
attributed it to the common dancing style of the 1920s where young people flapped their hands as
they enjoyed jazz music (Bross, J., & Stamm, M. (2014). The term has also been attributed to the
description of a teenage girl in England who had not yet developed ling hair and as such, the
plaited hair “flapped” backwards. Other scholars see the application of the word in relation tom
its slang reference to a young prostitute. This reference connotes a negative aspect of this culture
perhaps based on their adoption of irresponsible sex. Generally, the term refers to a teenage girl
of the 1920s who displayed a lively lifestyle.
Flappers were seen as a rebel group who disdained the dominant norms of society. They
exhibited liberal sexual behaviors and had a propensity for wearing excessive much makeup and
short skirts. This generation of women significantly influenced the social and political landscape
of Europe and is associated with the popularization of Jazz music across the world. The flappers
represented a youth culture because of the general influence they had on dressing styles, attitudes
and behavior and social and political aspects of society. The flapper lifestyle has continued to
attract literary debate and remains one of the most enduring representations of youth culture.
Presentation of Flappers

YOUTH CULTURE 3
Flappers were easily identified by their age and social mannerisms. The characteristic
dressing style of the flappers were short skirts with a high waist line accompanied by a sash. The
dressing style was to bring out the mischief in the flirtations that identified this generation. The
flappers cut their hair and developed a fashion sense that included strings on their dresses and
necklaces (Park, 2014). The dressing style was considered as an expression of the teenagers to
transit from being children and transiting into adulthood. It was thus considered flagrant and was
meant to attract male attention. The flappers had casual ideas about sex and thus broke the
societal rules with regard to constraint in sexual relations. In addition, they openly engaged in the
consumption of alcohol and smoked in the open. Although flappers lived in a period of cultural
conservatism based on Victorian ideas, they defied most of the rules at teenage contrary to
societal expectations. The flappers loved an expressive lifestyle that involved driving fast cars
and kissing their boyfriends in public in complete disregard to the value systems of their parents.
The flappers generally dressed in less apparel and displayed their sexuality in more vivid ways.
These young women enjoyed the club life and adopted other mannerisms previously associated
with men including drinking and smoking (Park, 2014). Through such display of mannerisms,
the flappers defied the rules of morality and redefined the perception of society about women.
Flappers as a Sub-Culture
The flappers bore all the hallmarks of a subculture based on the extent of the influence on
the youth. Subcultures are behaviors that emanate from rebellion to the dictates of the dominant
culture and are associated with rebel tendencies. The term Subculture was developed in the
1920s by scholars from the Chicago school (Moje, 2015). Deviant tendencies were then
associated with problems arising from the existing culture within society. Although subcultures