FEMINISM IN THE 1920s TO MODERN DAY
INTRODUCTION: Over the past few decades, gender roles have changed significantly and women's rights has become a huge topic of interest. The 1920s, also known as the Roaring Twenties was a big era as more and more women were becoming symbols of change. Within the next few years, women would be known for the changes they made to the home, marital status, political views, fashion, and work opportunities allowing the next generation of women to have hope for the future. Women would be guaranteed more freedom and equality. These would all be crucial elements to show how people's views on women have changed throughout society.
REFLECTION: I chose to do this project because gender roles and feminism seems to be a major theme that is present in the The Great Gatsby. I realized that gender roles has changed significantly over the years and the 1920s was a big era that instigated the women's rights movement. I thought it would be interesting to see how women have changed throughout the decades and portray Fitzgerald's views on women's rights.
Esther Choi - Women's Rights Picture Book
REFLECTION: I chose to do this project because gender roles and feminism seems to be a major theme that is present in the The Great Gatsby. I realized that gender roles has changed significantly over the years and the 1920s was a big era that instigated the women's rights movement. I thought it would be interesting to see how women have changed throughout the decades and portray Fitzgerald's views on women's rights.
Esther Choi - Women's Rights Picture Book
Women at Home
In the 1920s, the typical stereotype of women staying at home while men worked was a highly emphasized notion. Women were expected to do household chores, cook, clean, raise the children and do whatever means necessary to satisfy their husband's wishes. Even advertisements in the 1920s spoke out to women, strongly suggesting that women be the housewife that they are "meant" to be. Today, however, this belief has changed immensely. Women are no longer considered the "trophy wives" to their husbands anymore. Women are getting more involved in society, finding new job opportunities and breaking away from the image of a house mom or housewife.
Marital Status
A woman's legal standing was fundamentally governed by her marital status. They had very few rights. A
married woman had no separate legal identity from that of her husband. She had no right to sue or be sued since she had no separate standing in court. She had no right to own property in her own name. However, in modern day, this is completely different. In the 1920s women basically had the same identities as their husbands - they were one. But today, women don't even have to change their maiden name to their husband's surname. Although customary, women have learned to hyphenate their last names in order to show their independence as an individual.
married woman had no separate legal identity from that of her husband. She had no right to sue or be sued since she had no separate standing in court. She had no right to own property in her own name. However, in modern day, this is completely different. In the 1920s women basically had the same identities as their husbands - they were one. But today, women don't even have to change their maiden name to their husband's surname. Although customary, women have learned to hyphenate their last names in order to show their independence as an individual.
Women's Political Life
At the beginning of the twentieth century, women were outsiders to the formal structures of political life—voting, serving on juries, holding elective office and they were subject to wide-ranging discrimination that marked them as secondary citizens. Over the course of the century, however, women in America moved dramatically (though still not equally) into all aspects of public life—politics, professions, mass media, and popular culture. When the nineteenth amendment was passed, allowing women to vote, some women viewed this opportunity as an obligation to seriously take part in politics while others chose not to vote. The women who chose not to vote believed that men and women should have different roles in society, meaning their duties should not overlap. Twice in the twentieth century, however, a significant wave of feminist activism generated a surge of change in women’s status. Women first began to run for office in the 1920s. Today, women actively take part in the political field. Women are allowed to vote freely just as men are and more women are encouraged to run for office in presidential elections.
Women's Fashion
The fashion in the 1920s evolved every day from light to dark clothes, short to flowy dresses, colorful clothes and bright, neon ensembles. Women were expected to dress nicely for the viewing pleasure of their husbands. The flapper image symbolized the 1920s for many people. The flapper-with her short skirts, short hair, dark make-up, and fun-loving attitude represented a new freedom for women. Highly publicized flappers shortened their skirts, drank illegal alcohol, smoked, and otherwise defied society’s expectations of proper conduct for young women. The fashion today has changed significantly. The flapper image is no longer a trend as it was in the 1920s.
Women at Work
Because of the attitude that husbands should only have jobs, women worked at outside jobs. Cotton mills employed a few nurses, teachers, and social workers to staff social and educational programs. These mills did not hire black women, however, because of segregation. As a consequence, white millworkers often hired black women as domestic and child-care workers. Public acceptance of wage-earning jobs for young unmarried women was growing. No longer being limited to work as “mill girls” or domestics, these women began to perform retail work in shops and department stores. It became acceptable for working girls to live away from their families. Some young married women worked until they had children. Working for wages gave women independence, and by 1930 one in four women held a paying job. The "Rosie the Riveter" poster was initially created to enlist women in the work force. However, over the years, it became an iconic symbol of women's rights struggles. Today, not only are women permitted to working outside of the home, they also hold high positions in Congress, politics, and the government.
How Does all of this Relate to The Great Gatsby?
F. Scott Fitzgerald incorporated the theme of feminism/gender roles in the novel to emphasize that women's rights are a conflict. He portrayed his three female characters in relation to how people viewed women in the 1920s. The main character, Daisy Buchanan, while also known as the"it-girl", was Fitzgerald's portrayal of the stereotypical woman - dependent, weak-minded, submissive, hopeless, desiring luxury, and known as "the housewife." She was a commodity for her husband, Tom Buchanan also being labeled as a "trophy wife." Jordan Baker represented quite the opposite of people's traditional views of women in the 1920s. The role of women in society took on new forms, such as women working in politics and the workplace. Pushing unprecedented boundaries, women were more independent. Jordan's character portrays the changing woman during that era. Jordan was an unmarried professional golf player, which at that time was so rare because 1) golf was considered a man's sport and 2) women did not have outside jobs, more so if they were not married. Even her name vastly contrasts from that of Daisy's name as it is associated with more masculine qualities (golf, cars). She was also known as a flapper-smoking, drinking, dancing, and taking risks, a new woman was born. Jordan represented the face of a new woman - an independent individual who does not need a man to have strength. Fitzgerald's representation of Myrtle Wilson was similar to Daisy's, but not as wealthy and extravagant as Daisy's lifestyle. Myrtle portrayed the women who desired to rise above their status. She had similar traits as Daisy - submissive, weak, outspoken, and obedient. The difference between her and Daisy is that she illustrated a typical working class woman trying to escape the harsh realities of her meager existence while Daisy was content with the luxury and wealth she possessed. By depicting his female characters with specific behaviors and mannerisms, Fitzgerald offers a viewpoint about feminism.
Quotes about Women's Rights in the Novel:
"Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!" shouted Mrs. Wilson. "I'll say it whenever I want to! Daisy! Dai –– "Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand." (Chapter 2)
"Complete self-sufficiency—or complete self-sufficiency from a woman? We get the feeling that Nick is half in love with and half repulsed by Jordan because he can't deal with the fact that, unlike Daisy, she doesn't need a man. After all, she's got a phallic symbol of her own: that golf club."
Quotes about Women's Rights in the Novel:
"Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!" shouted Mrs. Wilson. "I'll say it whenever I want to! Daisy! Dai –– "Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand." (Chapter 2)
"Complete self-sufficiency—or complete self-sufficiency from a woman? We get the feeling that Nick is half in love with and half repulsed by Jordan because he can't deal with the fact that, unlike Daisy, she doesn't need a man. After all, she's got a phallic symbol of her own: that golf club."