Joan Crawford's Participation In World War 1

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* Before the war, girls were expected to behave modestly and wear long dresses. When they went out, they had to be accompanied by an older woman or a married woman. * It was totally unacceptable for a woman to smoke in public. Women were employed in jobs that were traditionally associated with women eg servants, seamstresses, secretaries, nursing. * During the war, women started to be employed in different types of jobs eg factory work, replacing the men who had gone to fight in the war in Europe. * Organisations such as the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) had been fighting for decades to get the vote for women. As women had contributed so much to the war effort, it was difficult to refuse their demands for…show more content…
* One famous flapper of the time was Joan Crawford. She started her career as a dancer on Broadway before moving to Hollywood to make a name for herself. She starred in films such as Paris (1926) and The Unknown (1927) in which she became famous for her flapper style. Many young girls admired and copied her style. In 1929, she married Douglas Fairbanks Jr, son of Douglas Fairbanks, which proved her important status in society. The influence of Jazz culture * The Jazz Clubs played a crucial role in allowing the flappers to express themselves. This is where they could smoke and dance. They also drank illegal alcohol in the speakeasies. * Instead of dancing the waltz that was popular in the period before the war, people started to enjoy more daring dances such as the Shimmy and the Bunny Hug. * Petting Parties began where the flappers would kiss men in public. * The flappers had their own slang too. "I have to go see a man about a dog" was slang for going to buy whisky, and a 'handcuff' or 'manacle' was an engagement or wedding…show more content…
Because of this, they endured more and more prejudice. Old traditional industries The traditional industries failed to respond to the new mass-production methods of the 1920s, unlike the Ford company that was making a good profit and could pay impressive wages. Also, following a reduction in the powers of Labor Unions (Trade Unions), the workers were not in a position to be able to claim better wages and working conditions in the old industries. * Coal - Coal prices fell and thousands had to be made redundant because the industry was producing too much coal and not enough people and countries wanted to buy it. * Ship building - Another major industry that had to make thousands redundant due to a reduction in the demand for new ships. * Cotton - New synthetic fibres were being developed, such as rayon. This became a very popular substitute to cotton. It was possible to produce rayon in factories where fewer workers were

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