Date of Award
Spring 2022
Thesis Type
Open Access
Degree Name
Honors Bachelor of Arts
Department
Art History
Sponsor
Dr. MacKenzie Moon Ryan
Committee Member
Dr. Susan Libby
Committee Member
Dr. Kimberly Dennis
Abstract
Fashion has been a catalyst for social change throughout human history. Fashion in 1920s America in particular reflects society's rapidly evolving attitudes towards gender and race. Beginning with how corsetry heavily restricted women for nearly four hundred years up until the twentieth century, this thesis explores how clothing has acted as a tool for societal progression following World War I and Women's Suffrage and during the Jazz Age and The Harlem Renaissance. Specifically, this thesis examines how the influence of jazz music and dance that originated from Black American communities led to the creation of the flapper evening dress. The impact of the rise and fall of corsetry, the infamous flapper, and Black culture has shaped fashion throughout this highly influential decade and in turn, these fashions helped shape society.
Recommended Citation
Wolffe, Julia, "Fashioning the Flapper: Clothing as a Catalyst for Social Change in 1920s America" (2022). Honors Program Theses. 162.
https://scholarship.rollins.edu/honors/162
Rights Holder
Julia Wolffe
Included in
African American Studies Commons, American Art and Architecture Commons, American Film Studies Commons, American Literature Commons, American Material Culture Commons, American Popular Culture Commons, Contemporary Art Commons, Cultural History Commons, Dance Commons, Fashion Business Commons, Fashion Design Commons, Fiber, Textile, and Weaving Arts Commons, Film and Media Studies Commons, Fine Arts Commons, Gender and Sexuality Commons, History of Gender Commons, Illustration Commons, Literature in English, North America Commons, Literature in English, North America, Ethnic and Cultural Minority Commons, Marketing Commons, Music Commons, Painting Commons, Photography Commons, Poetry Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons, Sculpture Commons, Social History Commons, United States History Commons, Women's History Commons, Women's Studies Commons