Prohibition and the Victorian protestant values it
represented became the perfect place for youth to rebel
 |
| The Plastic Age (1925) (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Americans have a renewed interest in the 1920’s. It was
brought on with a renewed interest in movies like the Great Gatsby. It is one
of the first decades many think of as modern. Still, the 1920’s courtship culture did not change society
overnight. It happened slowly in the decades before, when the optimism that
occurs at the turn of each century became tempered by the reality of the
continuance of less than positive human behavior. The Victorian ideal of women
just did not fit with women who had helped end slavery and settled the West.
World War I reminded the growing number of college educated women that maybe
men alone should not be trusted with the political welfare of the world.
Prosperity and the culture of youth now defined a great deal
of American popular life. A growing
young middle class was America’s new consumer and they were interested in being
individuals not part of the old static classist Victorian society./This was the America of Amelia Earhart and the hope of technology to redesign the world. Women were not just going to go from the home of their parents to the home of a husband. Men wanted women with a little spunk and a chance to share youthful fun.
Many historians feel the modern form of courtship started in
the 1920’s. The Victorian upper-class had influence growing middle class in the
previous century through media. Rituals and regiments that regulated who and
how young women considered as a marriage partner ruled the day. The lower
classes still enjoyed the freedom of choice when it came to partners from their
own social class. Common law marriage was still a great deal more common among
the urban and rural poor. Ceremonies and
periods of social acceptable engagement were still rare occupancies even in the
1920’s for girls from poor urban and rural communities.
In the decades leading to the 1920’s church and community
still defined dating. Courtship was supervised by the parents and friends of
young people from good families. Courtship only took place between couples who
genuinely saw each other as acceptable marriage partners. While there may have
been some attempt at finding potential compatibility based on personality
during the courtship process social class, religion, race, ethnic background,
determined who a single person could court.
There was a level of seriousness to unmarried couples spending time together;
it was never simply for the fun of it.
Dating for the first
time started to occur outside the women’s home. Young men increasingly had
employment outside the family farm and could afford to take the girl out to
activities such as movies or dances.
Young men who had literally seen gay Parie now saw drinking as a man’s
activity that one could do without the Churches approval. The creation of
publications geared towards mass audiences crated a growing media defined
culture. New York
was now defining fashion and cultural attitudes in small Midwestern towns. The
Spanish Flu and WWI once again reminded youth that life could be short, and
they were unwilling for the older generations to define and control their
lives.
The need for typist and other clerical workers meant that a
large number of small town and farm girls went to the cities to stay in
boarding houses with other young women. They did what all good daughters did
and sent money home or saved for marriage.
Yet, they were free from prying parent’s
eyes and free to date. Most dated with friends because a good time girl was fun,
but not easy. The young men had pocket money and one in a group might have a
car. A respectable date at a local church dance might end up with a stop at a
Speakeasy.
Forbidden dances and music gave these young people the feeling of
breaking free from the monotony and restrictions of their parent’s generation.
Young men who had seen the horrors of modern war, could celebrate their youth
and life before they settled down to there restrictions of married life.
Movies, books, and plays spread the concept of finding
romantic love by going out with members of the opposite sex. Parents of
flappers were many times blamed for these wild girls trapping unsuspecting
young men in marriage. Young girls were urged to avoid the tragedy of being marked
women by being associated with Flapper culture.
Still urban parents were
reading Darwin ,
sending their girls to college, and were becoming consumers who defined popular
culture. They wanted their young girls to impact the world and be trend setters.
There was a certain pride wealthier parents took in progressive child rearing
techniques. They were raising a generation to define a brave new technical
world where Science simply matter more than Christ They were much more tolerant
of their youth defining their own futures.
Women on the silver screen were clever and campy.
The real
vamp also came to ruin in these films, but her journe
y to ruin had great appeal
to girls stuck in one horse towns who only had the movie house to escape the
boredom of small town life. If a girl could not become a typist, move in with roommates,
and go to jazz filled speak easy, she could cut her hair and sneak some shine
in some local boys car after the church dance.
 |
| "Syncopating Sue", 1928. "Cheesecake" stereo card view of a scantily clad woman doing "Charleston kick." (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
 |
Eventually, respectable society found dating as an acceptable
way for young people to meet acceptable spouses. Businesses sought to get the
dating dollars of young folks, by encouraging all sorts of outings from
miniature golf to bowling. Dates to the park for panics and to the beach for
group outings, lead to couples sneaking off to do what raging hormones
demanded.
The best society could do was encourage courtship to become marriage
before a young couple was tempted beyond necking. Good girls had to walk that
fine line between fun loving girl and loose girl. The age of courtship became younger, and
public schools sponsored events that encourage young people to break up into
couples and have active dating lives. The amount of time a young people were
suppose to court became longer and longer. By the time depression era hit,
putting off marriage until financial stability was established became the
ideal, but being social while waiting was expected.
The double standard of a
boy having many girlfriends was encouraged so he would settle down without
having wondering eye became the norm. Still
young women had increasing freedom to choose their life mates and have a single
life that was somewhat self-defined.
No comments:
Post a Comment