The Flapper is an American icon. Born from post World War I feminism, she freed herself from stuffy Victorian ways and became the new "modern" woman. The flapper engaged in frivolty and recklessness. She was a rouge wearing rebel- a fast living, rule breaking, beautiful young woman.

Flappers were notorious for smoking, drinking, and dancing. These young girls did what only men had done before them. They drove automobiles and rode bicycles. They snuck alcohol into speakeasies during the Prohibition by strapping flasks to their inner thighs. Flappers were known to be promiscuous and sexual. They engaged in "petting" in the back seats of parked cars. They partied late into the night and danced the Charleston and the Shimmy.

The new, wild dances of the Jazz Age required women to move more freely. As a result, flappers stopped wearing corsets, and this became a focus of controversy. During the 1920's, corsetlessness was thought to be dangerous and evil. Flappers broke all the rules and started wearing a new type of undergarmet called a "step-in." Without the curve-enhancing corset, the flapper's figure was straight and boyish.

The corset wasn't the only change in Flapper Fashion. Young women chopped off their traditionally long hair and died it jet black. They wore short, modern "bobs" or "shingle" cuts. Their hem lenghts were chopped off too. Flappers wore dresses just below the knee and exposed their legs for the first time ever. These baggy dresses were sleeveless and had modern waist lines that rested on the hips.

Flappers were vibrant and youthful. They wore bright rouge, lipstick, and thick eye makeup. Because of this, their style is often misunderstood as being hot and sexy, when in fact, they they had a very boyish look. They even wrapped tight strips of cloth around their chest in order to flatten it and appear younger.