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As many of you can see, I've been a pretty terrible blogger lately! What can I say...Life.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

The History of the 1920's Flapper

Sometimes our minds tend to think about these random kinds of things.


Flapper. The term originated in the early 1920s and referred to young, emancipated women breaking from the mold of convention with knee-high skirts, “bobbed” hair and rolled stockings.

As part of this defiance of social convention they wore their over shoes unbuckled so that the buckles flapped loudly in walking. So was born the name “flapper.”

(Information provided by “The Complete Footwear Dictionary: Second Edition” by Dr. William A. Rossi, 2000.)

20 comments:

  1. And here I thought the term "flapper" referred to promiscuous behavior. I think that the '20s might be my favorite decade of the 20th century.

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  2. Hi! I'm hopping today from the Sunday Relax and Surf hoping to make new friends. What a great blog. I am a prolific reader and a yet to be published author. I adore blogs ith reviews as it helps me decide what to read or buy. Lovely to 'meet' you.I have added myself as your newest follower on GFC .
    I'm off to browse around your blog now. Please drop by and maybe follow me if you fancy a laugh. I'd be delighted welcome you. I am a vision of the future!
    Warmest wishes
    Carol from www.facing50withhumour.blogspot.com

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  3. You learn something new everyday! I actually didnt know this, so thanks for that lil' nugget! :)

    I'm now following you through the Relax & Surf Sunday Blog Hop. I hope you'll do the same! You can find me @ http://sofiasideas.com/

    Sofia's Ideas

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  4. Matt...The things you learn. I don't think any of the past ten decades makes it onto my favorites list I love too much old history. I love the 1880s, the late 1500s, the late 1100s, and the 500s.

    Facing50...It's very nice to 'meet' you too. I'm happy that you found me here and can't wait to have you around for further book reviews and discussion topics. I'll also stop by your blog and check it out.

    Sofia...That's you do. I love random facts just for that purpose. Thanks for following. Can't wait to have you around here again and I will come and check out your blog as well. :)

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  5. Totally awesome, I so didn't know this! I figured it was the dresses or something, but of course it's shoes since shoes make the world 'go round, right? Love it!

    <3

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  6. I'm following
    Doing some blog hopping via Relax & Surf Sunday
    would love it if you stopped by my blog to follow
    Copper Llama Studio
    http://copperllamastudio.blogspot.com/

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  7. If you like Victorian literature, Aubrie, you might be interested to read the comic series The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. It features tons of references to books, movies, and tv shows from and referencing that era and beyond. Don't let that disappointing movie dissuade you, the only relation is the character names. It's also a good idea to follow along the comics with Jess Nevins's annotations, wherein he identifies all of the references, both obvious and obscure, found within the series.

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  8. djpr...Of course! Shoes are the center of the universe, the ground we stand on, the reason our closets even get organized!

    Jaime...Welcome! That blog hop has been amazing. So many new people. Thanks for stopping by and feel free to join in on any discussions. I'll stop by your blog soon.

    Matt...What are you tlaking about? That movie was great! No, I know it wasn't the best, but enjoyed the fact that they brought all those characters together. I have actually read versions of King Solomon's Mines, The Picture of Dorian Grey, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, so I was very familiar with the characters.

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  9. I said "disappointing" because that is the consensus, not necessarily reflecting my opinion. As a movie, it is fine, but it comparison to the comics, it is far inferior. If you're interested, I could upload an issue for you to read.

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  10. I had always thought that "flapper" referred to the cute, layered-fringe dresses the women wore in the 20s! But the name makes sense given the shoes.

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  11. Matt...Yes, the consensus. We both know how much I love them. What I want to hear is your opinion. Thanks for the offer on the comic. I've never really ready one before, but I am in the middle of two books right now so I should be good for now.

    Sarah...Yes, that's what I thought too.

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  12. Sarah - it does also refer to the fringe dresses :)

    Aubrie - I love that you featured flappers! I used to be a swing dancer, and I know dances from the 20's-50's. So I'm always interested in learning more tidbits :) And in response to your question about "Wyrd Sisters" I did read it and loved it! I don't post reviews unless I've read it :) I love Terry Pratchett and I'm currently working on reading through his entire Discworld collection. Sadly - he has Alzheimers and won't be doing much more writing.

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  13. Awesome! I'm looking forward to picking it up the next time I am at the store. I'm going to browse through some pages. Awww, I don't like it when you find an author you really like and then find that they won't be writing anymore. It's sad.

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  14. I expressed that it was an okay stand-alone film.

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  15. I didn't catch that you thought it was an okay stand-alone movie, but I agree.

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  16. My sister has the most incredible photograph of our grandmother in full flapper regalia. I have begged her for a copy...thanks for the cool post.

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  17. No. 7...Oh! I'd die for something like that of one of my relatives too! Make sure to get a copy from her!

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  18. Wow - the more one reads, the more one certainly learns. I've only ever used the term 'flapper' when referring to the string of pearls that hung loosely from ladies necks in the 1920's. The era was one of rebellion, with women becoming more opinionated and, yes, with dresses hemmed above the knee, becoming more risqué ;) Loved the 'flapper' so much that I bought one on Ebay a few years back. A simple strand of gorgeous peals with ribbons of tiny peals at each end - it flaps quite well when dancing the Charleston (and looks the part when pretending to be Mary Pickford!)

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  19. Moana...that's so cool. I would love to own one just so I could dance the charleston!

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