The 1920s

The Roaring Twenties was a time of music, fashion, rebellion, and was different from other periods of time in history.


Music and dancing in the Roaring Twenties was usually face paced, and full of energy. People used these dances and music to get away from their problems, and from the thought of war. Most of the dancing went to jazz music, and many thought of the dancing as scandalous because the dancing had much contact with their partner, which was uncommon in earlier dances. A popular dance of the era was the Charleston (the dance in the picture above) which it "characterized by outward heel kicks combined with an up and down movement achieved by bending and straightening the knees in time to the music."


Fashion in the 1920s was a dramatic change from the years before. Dressers were made lighter than before, with different colors, full of patterns, and were shorter than they were before. Hats, shoes, stockings, handbags, dresses and jewelry were what was in style for women, all full of vibrant colors. Men's styles consisted mainly of wearing suits. Some of these suits had loose fitting sleeves, were worn with belts, double breasted vests, and trousers began to get cuffed at the bottoms.

Rebellion was a big part of the Roaring Twenties. Many women changed their styles to the the flapper style, which rebelled against the previous style of women, with looser fitting clothes, short hair cuts, public smoking, and tons of make up. Many people also ignored prohibition, and drank and partied quite frequently. Many would attend speakeasies, secret places that sold alcohol.



The fun of the Roaring 20s ended in 1929, when on October 29 the stock market crashed. "On the morning of Thursday, October 24, 1929, stock prices plummeted. Vast numbers of people were selling their stocks. Margin calls were sent out. People across the country watched the ticker as the numbers it spit out spelled their doom. The ticker was so overwhelmed that it quickly fell behind. A crowd gathered outside of the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street, stunned at the downturn. Rumors circulated of people committing suicide."

Sources: http://www.1920-30.com/
history1900s.about.com/od/1920s/a/stockcrash1929.htm
http://www.1920s-fashion-and-music.com/mens-suits.html