The 1920's were trademarked by the "flapper" styles which pushed moral and
even legal boundaries. For the first time, women were wearing short
dresses and short hair, without a corset. Flappers would also wear their
stockings rolled down. This decade was also largely influenced by the
discovery of King Tut's tomb in 1922, and fashions were based on Aztec and
Egyptian styles that made up the Arts Decoratifs movement of Paris. There
was a trend of simple lines and solid rectangular lines of a chemise dress
which simply pulled over a woman's head. One successful style was called
robes de style, which were loosely cut dresses with a low waist line and
ankle-length skirt. Beaded panels and hems were added to the design. There
was also a trend to make the bust less noticeable and to emphasize slim
hips, creating a boyish look in women's fashion. As for today, the 1990's
brought a "less is more" style. Much like the dramatic change from the
corsets and modest dresses to the styles of the flappers, fashion today may
seem quite risque compared with recent decades past. Much of today's
fashion revolves around simplicity, and even the most expensive brand-name
clothing has a very plain design. Short skirts have gotten even shorter,
and it has become the norm for women to wear pants and other clothing that
would have been considered for men only in days past.
In 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment granted women the constitutional right to
vote. This is contrasted by today when women are considered to be an
important group from which politicians must gain support in order to be
successful. Another difference is that in the 1920's, Blacks did not have
the right to vote, while today Blacks are also given this right. From
1921 to 1933 both the presidency and congress were dominated by
Republicans, which is also true today. The position of the government in
the 1920's was very pro-business...