1920’s Culture
The Jazz Age and Popular Culture
New Manners, New Morals
After WWI, returning soldiers brought
home new styles and habits
The younger generation indulged in the
new social freedoms that started in the
cities; dance, music, sports, college
– They looked to each other for standards of
behavior, not their parents
The Jazz Age
The Great Migration brought the African
Rhythms, Ragtime, and the Blues North
The Jazz Age
– Together it developed into Jazz
Louis Armstrong
made the New
Orleans sound
famous in the
North and
around the world.
– As its popularity grew in the Nightclubs, Jazz
began to influence the era’s culture
Happy Feet by Paul Whiteman
Dance ‘till you Drop…literally!
Jazz inspired new popular dances and dance
marathons
Here’s a swing version
of the Lindy Hop that
took elements from the
Charleston
Close to the Charleston
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1920’s Slang
Wearing Make-up
– previously only associated with the stage
(acting)
Clothing Styles
– Arms and knees were exposed (This actually
caused a slight recession in the textile
industries... you didn't need all that cloth)
Women were still judged more strictly then men
and felt the conflicting pull to conform to both
the new and old standards
The Reality for Women
Many women worked in office, sales, and service
jobs
–
–
–
–
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Stayed until they married
Often fired when they became pregnant
No promoted, considered temporary employees
Paid less
Many hospitals and firms refused to hire female
doctors and lawyers.
African American women were expected to work
while pregnant and for lower wages
Enjoyed work, but felt split between their
traditional roles as wife and mother and work
Heebie-jeebies (1926): "the
shakes," named after a hit
song.
Killjoy: a solemn person
Mind Your Potatoes: mind
your own business.
Nifty: great, excellent
Ossified: drunk
On the Up and Up: on the
level
Punch the Bag: small talk
Rhatz!: How disappointing!
Swanky: (1) good (2) elegant
Water-proof: a face that
doesn't require make-up
Cars
Changes for Women
All Wet: incorrect
Baloney: Nonsense!
Bee's Knee's: terrific;
extraordinary person,
idea, or thing
Cat's Meow: great, also
"cat's pajamas" and "cat's
whiskers”
Drugstore Cowboy: A
well-dressed man who
loiters in public areas
trying to pick up women
Dumb Dora: a stupid girl
Flat Tire: a bore
Giggle Water: booze
Widely available
and affordable
Couples were able
to go on dates free
of supervision! No
more hanging
around the house.
Many social workers and
teachers urged a more
open discussion about
dating...
Technology
Cars made shopping easy
New products like sewing machines and
vacuum cleaners made housework faster
These inventions created higher
expectations
– “By their floors Ye Shall Judge them”
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The Flapper
increased organized
crime
A young woman
eager to try the
latest fashion,
trend, or fad
Controls on Beliefs
Prohibition
The rising importance of science, changing
social roles, and reform movements
challenged traditional religious beliefs.
The Fundamentalists
Designed to wipe
out crime,
prohibition created
new ones. By the
decades end, many
people began to call
for reform.
The Ku Klux Klan Revival
– A series of pamphlets which declared that every
word in the Bible was inspired by God and its
stories were literally true
Thus was a new religious movement:
Fundamentalism
The Klan
In the early 1920’s the Ku Klux Klan launched a
recruitment drive using mass-marketing
At its high point the KKK boasted a membership
of between 3 to 5 million across the country
– South they terrorized African Americans
– Southwest the pursued prohibition violators
– Northeast and West they targeted Jews
They also targeted Catholics as disloyal to the
United States
A Different Form of Social Protest
After the brutality of WWI many writers
and artists belief in human progress died
– They felt the Progressive Era was over
– Their unconventional ideas were considered
radical
Authors like T.S. Eliot and F. Scott
Fitzgerald wrote satires of American
Culture
– The Waste Land
– The Great Gatsby about the shallow self
indulgence of the Jazz age rich
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Expatriates
Many rejected American Culture and went
into exile
Soon they found it just as hard to live there
and came home to jobs in advertising and
the book trade they had earlier despised
– Many went to Paris
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