I. Women and the Consumer LifestyleThe Roaring Twenties: Babbitts, Klansmen, and FlappersI. The Twenties and the “Return to Normalcy”1) An era of political conservatism, rejecting Progressive reform2) An age of conflict – urban vs. rural, “new” vs. “old,” modernists vs. traditionalists (sums up culture)II. An Economic Snapshot of the 1920s1) HUGE economic growth overalla) Manufacturing increase 60%b) GNP goes up 40%c) Per capita income up 21%2) improved standards of living, though some get it better than othersa) wage of factory worker up 15%b) wage of white collar worker up 30%3) President Warren G. Harding- “A return to normalcy”4) Politically conservative era dominated by republicans until the stock market crash5) Progressives dying down6) Industry thriving7) Labor unions on defensive8) Very consumer oriented- cars, appliances, seeing movies, smoking, drinking, etc.9) exception – agriculture in troublea) over production keeps prices lowb) more than 500,000 farmers lose land to debtc) share croppers had it worse10) many people freaking out (farmers and traditionalists) because they don’t like African Americans getting “uppity”, women/flappers, or industrializationIII. The Rise of “Consumerism” biggest change1) The automobile – symbol of consumerism1a) 1920- 10 million cars in Americab) 1930- 26 million cars in AmericaIV. A Culture of Conformity?1) Consumerism as freedom2) Consumerism as shallow materialisma) Sinclair Lewis and Babbitt (1924)i) A real estate salesman in Ohio is married to a bored wife, has no sex life, and 2 snotty teenagers; just as conformist as his kids and wife; only thinks about money and having everything that everyone else hasii) Consumer life of the 1920s making people go crazyI. Women and the Consumer Lifestyle1) “women’s work”- limited by women’s “sphere”a) Secretary, stenographer, service jobs (like a maid)b) Most women in work force are single2) Consumerism and the tyranny of houseworka) Women expected to keep a cleaner house because of appliances3) The “New Woman” – made possible by the new consumer culturea) the “Flapper” – wild, free, fun; short hair, lives in thecity, smokes/drinks in public, listens to jazz, dances close; very risquéb) less pressure to get married**rise of advertising with mail order; Sears and Roebucks**V. Backlash against Modernism – The Rise of Fundamentalism and the KKKa) Fundamentalism - a religious reaction against consumerism and modernismi) Flappers – whores, harlots flaunting women’s “proper roles”2ii) Babbitts – unspiritual materialistsb) The “new” Ku Klux Klani) Old Klan – stop black men votingii) New Klan – hatred reflects a changed America – immigrants, Catholics, Jews, labor unions, communists, etc…iii) Popular among farmers and small businessmen – those people not sharing in the prosperity of the 1920s and threatened by these new “modern” ideasand people. “Status Anxiety”
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