Famous Flappers

Definition and Summary of Flappers
Summary and Definition: The Flappers were the unconventional women who embraced he new ideas, freedom and modernism of the Roaring Twenties, also referred to as the Jazz Age. Following the horrors of WW1, the youth of the era wanted to enjoy themselves and have some fun. For many it was a time of prosperity and Flappers enjoyed the new fashions and clothing of the era. They wore make-up, enjoyed Jazz music and danced  the crazy, flamboyant dance moves of the Charleston and the Black Bottom which involved flapping their arms around - hence the name "Flappers".

What Characterized the Famous Flappers?
The Famous Flappers of the Roaring Twenties era were constantly in the newspapers. Photographs showed the latest trends and fashions of the Flappers and movie stars such as Joan Crawford and Clara Bow were admired by young American women who went to the movies on a weekly basis. The Flappers of the 1920s asserted their right to drink, smoke, dance and date. Free-spirited Flappers flouted Victorian-era conventions, bobbed their hair, listened to jazz and scandalizing the older generation.

     
   

Famous Flappers - Clara Bow, the "It Girl"

Famous Flappers - Clara Bow, the "It Girl"
 

Famous Flappers Facts: Fast Fact Sheet
Fast, fun facts and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) about the Famous Flappers were Clara Bow, .

What were the names of Famous Flappers?
Famous Flappers included movie stars, actresses and other celebrities. The names of Famous Flappers included Clara Bow, Coco Chanel, Joan Crawford, Colleen Moore, Barbara Stanwyck, Bebe Daniels, Norma Talmadge, Theda Bara, Norma Shearer, Louise Brooks, Anita Loos and Gilda Gray "the Shimmy Queen".

Who were the names of African American Flappers? Famous African American flappers included Josephine Baker, Bessie Smith, Adelaide Hall, Ma Rainey and Lil Hardin Armstrong

Who were the names of African American Flappers? Famous African American flappers included Josephine Baker, Bessie Smith, Adelaide Hall, Ma Rainey and Lil Hardin Armstrong

Who was the most Famous Flapper?
The most famous flapper was Clara Bow. Clara Bow, "The It Girl", achieved world wide fame personified the Roaring Twenties and the Jazz Age. She is pictured with short bobbed hair, a bright-colored sweater & scarf that were typical clothes of the flappers.

Why did Flappers become famous? Flappers attracted unprecedented publicity by their fame as movies stars and celebrities together with their exuberant, unconventional that challenged the traditional ideas by wearing short skirts, make-up, drinking and smoking in public and acting in an unladylike fashion.

How Famous Flappers typified the Roaring Twenties and the Jazz Age
Flappers typified the Roaring Twenties and the Jazz Age. Colleen Moore, a movie star, and one of the famous flappers of the 1920's, articulated the barriers that flappers were breaking down. She was quoted as saying "We were coming out of the Victorian era and in my pictures I danced the Charleston, I smoked in public and I drank cocktails. Nice girls didn't do that before." Colleen Moore went on to describe flappers as smart and sophisticated with an air of independence who were so casual about their looks, clothes and manners to be almost slapdash. Flappers represented modernism and the women of the future who were determined to free themselves of the Victorian shackles of the pre-World War I era.

Famous Flappers Facts for kids
Flappers typified the clash of values in the 1920s and the changing status of women. World War One left many young people disillusioned and led them to question traditional morality and values which resulted in their outrageous behavior. The 'New Women' of the 1920's had been given the right to vote, were able to obtain college degrees, learned to drive and went to work. She was independent and had money to spend on new fashions and make-up. Flappers abandoned traditional women's clothes such as long dresses and corsets, and wore skimpier clothes that were, by Victorian standards, scandalously provocative. Some Flappers wore men's clothes, favoring the flat-chested 'garconne' look. Refer to 1920's Fashion for Women.

Pictures of Famous Flappers
The photographs and pictures of the famous flappers are a useful addition to the facts sheet, illustrating the hairstyles, make-up, fashion and clothes worn by the celebrities and movie stars of the 1920's who had made their names as famous flappers.

Famous Flappers Facts for kids
The following fact sheet contains interesting facts and information on Famous Flappers

Facts about the Famous Flappers

Famous Flappers Fact 1: Colleen Moore: The photograph shows the famous 'Dutch-boy' bobbed haircut, copied by many flappers, that Colleen Moore made famous. Colleen Moore was the top box-office draw in America, drawing a salary of $12,500 a week. Unlike many other movie stars of the era she wisely invested her money and retired to a life of comfort in the early 1930's. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote of her: "I was the spark that lit up FLAMING YOUTH, Colleen Moore was the torch."

Famous Flappers - Picture of Colleen Moore

Famous Flappers Fact 2: Norma Shearer: Norma Shearer was determined and ambitious who became a famous movie star of the 1920's and married the powerful film producer, Irving Thalberg.

Her picture is interesting as it shows the casual, slapdash fashion of the Roaring Twenties. A mixture of brightly colored clothes, scarves and stockings with bold, striking Art Deco designs. Her bell-shaped cloche hat was a defining fashion statement in the 1920's.

Famous Flappers - Picture of Norma Shearer

Famous Flappers Fact 3: Marie Provost: Marie Provost, a 1920's movie star, was one of the famous flappers whose outrageous behavior, clothing and fashion attracted vast amounts of publicity in the Jazz Age 1920's. Marie Provost participated in numerous publicity events - her photo shows a mixture of flapper fashion: bobbed hair, feather headband, revealing bathing suit, rolled down stockings and galoshes. Marie Provost constantly changed her hair color from blonde to brunette and then blond again which was perceived as a flappers sexual self- expression.

Famous Flappers - Picture of Marie Provost

Famous Flappers Fact 4: Joan Crawford: Joan Crawford was one of the most famous movie stars and flappers of the 1920's. Unlike many movie stars of the era Joan Crawford made a successful transition to talkies in the late 1920s and her career survived into the 1960's. To gain publicity the highly ambitious and flamboyant Crawford often entered and won dance competitions with her performances of the famous dances loved by flappers - Charleston and the Black Bottom. Her picture illustrates the cloche hat favored by all the famous flappers and millions of women in the 1920's.

Famous Flappers - Picture of Joan Crawford

Continued...

Facts about the Famous Flappers

Facts about the Famous Flappers for kids
The following fact sheet continues with facts about Famous Flappers

Facts about the Famous Flappers

Famous Flappers Fact 5: Barbara Stanwyck: Barbara Stanwyck started her career working in 1920's speakeasies of the Prohibition era. Her career took off as she became a Ziegfeld girl singing and dancing in the world famous the Ziegfeld Follies. She then worked in the theaters and shows on Broadway. In 1927 made the move to Hollywood, took a screen test and made her first movie appearance as a fan dancer. She led a glamorous life as a flapper in the Jazz Age, became noticed and became a famous movie star.

Famous Flappers - Picture of Barbara Stanwyck as a Ziegfeld girl

Famous Flappers Fact 6: Bebe Daniels: Bebe Daniels started her a career as a child actress in the early silent movies. By 1924 she had made the transition to and adult movie star playing opposite Rudolph Valentino in 'Monsieur Beaucaire'. Bebe Daniels was one of the earliest famous 1920's flappers and her outrageous exploits, such as being arrested for speeding, attracted considerable publicity. Bebe Daniels married Ben Lyons in 1930 and they made a successful career as a radio and movie double act.

Famous Flappers - Picture of Bebe Daniels

Famous Flappers Fact 7: Norma Talmadge: Norma Talmadge, a "brunette of glowing beauty,” was the eldest of three daughters who all achieved fame as the Talmadge sisters. Norma Talmadge was a confident, independent 'New Woman' who achieved fame as both a movie star and film producer. In 1923 she was named the number one box office star, had a legion of fans and was earning $10,000 a week. It was Norma Talmadge who started a famous Hollywood tradition in 1927 when she accidentally stepped into wet concrete in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater.

Famous Flappers - Picture of Norma Talmadge

Famous Flappers Fact 8: Clara Bow: Clara Bow, "The It Girl", personified the famous flappers of the Roaring Twenties and the Jazz Age. Clara Bow one of the first silver screen sex sirens and was surrounded by controversy.

Clara Bow retired in 1931 amid a tangle of scandals surrounding affairs, money and her addiction to alcohol. The scandals earned her the nickname of "Crisis-a-Day-Clara", she was all of 28 years old.

Famous Flappers - Picture of Clara Bow

Famous Flappers Fact 9: Louise Brooks: Louise Brooks was a silent movie legend and an independent spirit. She starred in 17 silent movies and in eight "talkies". She starred on Broadway in George White's Scandals and then went on to the Ziegfeld Follies before making it as a movie star in Hollywood. Hollywood blacklisted her for her defiance and in a final act of independence she decided to end her own acting career in 1938. The picture shows her trademark bobbed hairstyle. Her hairstyle must have influenced that chosen by Catherine Zeta-Jones who sang the song “All That Jazz” in the 2002 movie 'Chicago'.

Famous Flappers - Picture of Louise Brooks

Famous Flappers Fact 10: Gilda Gray: Gilda Gray, "the Shimmy Queen", was a voluptuous blonde actress and dancer who popularized a 1920's dance called the "shimmy". An anecdote says that When she was asked about her shimmy dancing style, she answered "I'm shaking my chemise". (The chemise was a loose-fitting undergarment, that came to be known as a camisole, which replaced the tight fitting corsets of the Victorian era.) Gilda Gray was a famous 'Ziegfeld Girl'. Her picture shows her wearing a scarf, favored by fashion conscious flappers. 1920's scarves were rolled and tied around the head just above the browline and knotted at the back or side.

Famous Flappers - Picture of Gilda Gray

Famous Flappers Fact 11: Josephine Baker: Josephine Baker, aka the "Black Pearl" and the "Bronze Venus", was a dancer and singer who became immensely popular in France during the 1920s - receiving more than 1,000 marriage proposals. She started her career in America and worked in New York City performing in Chocolate Dandies and in the floor show of the Plantation Club. Josephine Baker caused a sensation when she moved to France. She performed at the Folies Bergère music hall in 'La Folie du Jour'in which she danced wearing little more than a skirt made of 16 bananas..

Famous Flappers - Picture of Josephine Baker

Famous Flappers Fact 12: Bessie Smith: Bessie Smith, the 'Empress of the Blues', made her first record Downhearted Blues in 1923 which became an instant success. She became the highest-paid African-American entertainer of the era.

She was a great friend of Gertrude “Ma” Rainey (the “Mother of the Blues") recorded “St. Louis Blues” with Louis Armstrong. Bessie Smith died tragically in a car accident in 1937.

Famous Flappers - Picture of Bessie Smith

Famous Flappers Fact 13: Theda Bara: Theda Bara was a popular American silent movie star who became one of Hollywood's first and most notorious Vamps. The name Theda Bara became synonymous with exoticism and she was famous for playing roles such as Salome, Cleopatra, and Madame DuBarry. Theda Bara, the Vamp, represented the sexually free goddess who ushered in the era of the Flapper and of new freedom for women. Her movies led to the Egyptian style fashion.

Famous Flappers - Picture of Theda Bara as Cleopatra

Famous Flappers Fact 14: Zelda Fitzgerald: Zelda Fitzgerald was the flamboyant wife of author F. Scott Fitzgerald, who wrote the Great Gatsby. They were the golden couple of a golden age. Zelda Fitzgerald was the embodiment of all things modern, unconventional and new and dubbed by her famous husband "the first American Flapper."  Zelda Fitzgerald lived a life of wild abandon and excess in the Roaring Twenties and was famous for riding on top of taxi cabs and splashing about in the Plaza Hotel fountain.

Famous Flappers - Picture of Zelda Fitzgerald

Famous Flappers Fact 15: Coco Chanel: Coco Chanel was a French fashion designer and founder of the Chanel brand and credited with liberating women from the constraints of the "corseted silhouette" during the Roaring Twenties and the Jazz Age.

Coco Chanel had a major impact on the fashions worn by the famous flappers introducing sporty, casual chic to the modern women of the era

Famous Flappers - Picture of Coco Chanel

Facts about the Famous Flappers

1920's Famous Flappers Facts for kids: List of Famous Flappers
Many of the names of 1920's Famous Flappers are detailed on the following list, a description of each of these flappers can be found in the facts file.

List of Famous Flappers

Clara Bow ● Coco Chanel ● Joan Crawford ● Colleen Moore ● Barbara Stanwyck ● Anita Loos ● Louise Brooks ● Norma Shearer ● Norma Talmadge ● Bebe Daniels ● Gilda Gray ● Josephine Baker ● Bessie Smith ● Zelda Fitzgerald ● Mary Pickford

List of Famous Flappers

Facts about Famous Flappers: The Roaring Twenties
For visitors interested in the history of the Roaring Twenties, the Jazz Age and Flappers refer to the following articles:

Famous Flappers
The article on the Famous Flappers provides detailed facts and a summary of this era in the history of the United States
- a crash course in American History. The following video will give you additional important facts, history and dates about the personal and political lives of all the US Presidents.

Famous Flappers

● Interesting Facts about Famous Flappers for kids and schools
Fashion, clothes and pictures of Famous Flappers  for kids
● The Famous Flappers,
the celebrities and movie stars of the 1920's
Names of the Famous Flappers in 1920's Jazz Age
● Fast, fun facts about the Famous Flappers with pictures
● Famous Flappers Pictures and fashion
Fast, Fun Facts about  the Famous Flappers for schools, homework, kids and children

Famous Flappers - Facts and Pictures - Fashion - Clothes - Pictures - Facts - Fashion - Clothes - Pictures - Famous Flappers - Definition - American - US - USA - Famous Flappers - America - Dates - United States - Kids - Children - Schools - Homework - Important - Facts on Famous Flappers - Fashion - Clothes - Pictures - Interesting - Famous Flappers - Info - Information - American History - Facts - Fashion - Clothes - Pictures - Famous Flappers

ⓒ 2017 Siteseen Limited First Published Cookies Policy Author
Updated 2018-01-09 Publisher Siteseen Limited Privacy Statement