Womens Liberation in the 1920s: Myth or Reality? Essays -- Essays Pa

Women's Liberation in the 1920's: Myth or Reality? The decade following World War I proved to be the most explosive decade of the century. America emerged as a world power, the 19th amendment was ratified, and the expansion of capitalism welcomed the emergence of consumerism. The consumer era was established, which generated new spending opportunities for most Americans in the 1920’s. From the latest fashions to the world of politics, ideologies collided to construct a society based on contradicting principles. These powerful ideologies infected men and women of all classes with an inescapable desire for material possessions; however this ideological tug-of war affected women the most. Although legally declared citizens, society’s assumption of motherhood and domesticity, being the only professions for women, still remained supreme in the country that supposedly promoted equal opportunity. New sex role stereotypes appeared throughout society and women became identified with the consumer culture for they were "major purchasers of products" and "constituted a crucial underpinning of the economy" (Dumenil 144). No group was more responsive to this than the advertising industry, which introduced new images while reinforcing traditional stereotypes. As speculation on women’s rights grew tiresome after suffrage had been won, women separated in search of their own individuality; however a woman’s identity was based on the sex-role stereotypes advertisements continuously portrayed which in turn transformed cultural expectations and thwarted women’s autonomy. The emergence of consumerism allowed advertisements to be viewed worldwide. "Across the nation, women in cities, towns and farms paged through issues of mass-circulation... ...ture and Society in the 1920’s. New York: Hill and Wang, 1995. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. "Echoes of the Jazz Age" Flappers and Philosophers. New York: 1921 Harriman, Helga H. Women in the Western Heritage. Sluice Dock, Guilford, CT. Danshkin Publishing Group, Inc. 1995 Kroger, Jane. Identity in Adolescence: The Balance Between Self and Other. London: Routledge, 1989 Scanlon, Jennifer. Inarticulate Longings: The Ladies’ Home Journal, Gender, and the Promises of Consumer Culture. New York, NY: Routledge, 1995 Sivulka, Juliann. Soap, Sex, and Advertising. Belmont, California: Wasworth Publishing Company, 1998 Stearns, Peter N. and Jean Lewis eds. An Emotional History of the United States. New York, NY. New York University Press, 1998 Stevenson, Elizabeth. Babbits and Bohemians: From the Great War to the Great Depression. New York: Macmillan, 1967.