Society and the reasons for the development of the new woman

Chicago 1926

Employment

In the absence of their husbands during the First World War, many
women were forced to become independent and didn’t want to give
up their new lives once the war was over. Previously, women had
already worked as nannies or sewers, but during the war they were
also needed in offices and factories.
The organization of work became more professionalized and gender
roles blurred increasingly. Men came to dominate former female
professions (many midwives were replaced by doctors, for example)
and women took over unskilled or semi-skilled labour formerly reserved
to men, especially in the textile industry.

Activities

So women suddenly had more money and were no longer dependent
on husbands, so they enjoyed not only a sexual freedom, but they could
also create their own lifestyles through sports, hobbies and the
purchase of beauty products and fashion items. The new access to
sports contributed to the women’s choice of clothes. The body-binding
corsets were abandoned in favour for a straight, simple silhouette,
which permitted women to move around without being hindered.

The boyish style derived from new sports and activities of the new
woman was promoted by many designers, one of the most famous
being Coco Chanel, whose clothes were practical and comfortable
and made the rich look young and casual. But also F. Scott Fitzgerald
observed the sporty style in his “Great Gatsby” describing Jordan Baker
as “wearing her evening dress, all her dresses, like sports clothes-
there was a jauntiness about her movements as if she had first learned
to walk on golf courses on clean crisp mornings”.

This fashion was the beginning of still desirable values like youth,
slenderness and a casual elegance. Other activities like dancing
influenced the fashion in a similar way, while the new music styles and
dances like jazz or the Charleston required women to move around and
the evening dresses became more casual.

Leisure time

A main factor that contributed to all these new activities accessible to
women was the increasing amount of leisure time. Being financially
independent, working women could not only afford to employ a nanny
and back away from traditional family life. But more importantly, due to
technological innovations, many machines and products were available
that facilitated the women’s housework.

Sexuality

The obvious sexual statement of the flapper with her boyish appearance
and frivol behaviour were feared by many conservatives. The increasing
body display and nakedness was widely viewed as a lack of morals and
men started to see the flapper as a competitor breaking into the men’s
domain. As women became increasingly self-confident and independent,
they could afford to step over the old morals, which led to a new
sexual freedom.

Media

Women became increasingly interested in fashion, not only because
of more leisure time, but also because they were targeted by the fashion
industry as rich potential clients. Film, radio and magazines became
widely accessible to the masses, featuring publicity and advertising.

Accessibility

But not only were women’s fashion dreams inspired through the media,
they could also be fulfilled. For young employed women, but also for
married housewives, clothes became widely accessible. Before the war,
fashionable dresses had been reserved for the rich, but with new production
technologies, clothes off the rack became affordable for women on the street.
The high fashion was still an exclusive for the wealthy women, but as
cheaper brands often copied the styles from the designers, an office
woman could at least look just as fashionable. The democratization of
fashion also diminished the class differences on the first sight. Apart from
fine differences in fabric quality and workmanship, a wealthy woman’s
dress could hardly be distinguished of a working class dress, as shape
and colour were similar for both.

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