By: Marcia King-Gamble
www.lovemarcia.com
I thought about this one long and hard. If I had a choice of
time and place, where would I want to live?
Crazy as it may seem, I would choose this era, because of the
many opportunities that women fought for and finally achieved.
I don’t mean to come off as some strident woman’s libber.
Though I will proudly admit I am a huge supporter of women’s rights, and a
staunch believer in women having control of their own bodies, and having the
right to equal pay.
That said, the Roaring Twenties would be the era that mostly
piques my interest. I could never exist in the Victorian era with its horrible double
standard, and a prudery and snobbishness that would probably have gotten me
jailed.
Why the Roaring Twenties then?
It was a time of great economic prosperity, and boy did we
need it. Flappers were coming on the scene and women were coming into their own. Females were becoming independent and "girls" were making an impact on the ‘Good ole boys Club.” So, where would I like to “Roar?’’ certainly
not in this country, but in Paris, where people of color were accepted,
respected, and revered for their talent, at least more so than in the United
States.
In fairness, in 1920, the USA was
slowly coming into its own. There was an artistic explosion in Harlem; a
renaissance it was called. Zeta
Phi Beta, an African-American sorority was founded at Howard University. The following
month, The Negro
National Baseball League got its
start, and that summer, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was
ratified, granting women the right to vote, although African-American women living
down south, would tell you otherwise. They faced enough restrictions to make voting impossible thanks to poll taxes, literacy tests, and
grandfather clauses. It just wasn't easy.
Yes, off to Paris I would go. Women had started earning salaries which meant they had choices. The Suffragettes emerged and so did the Flapper. It was a fascinating time in history, especially after the austerity and bloodshed of World War I, the joy and
light-heartedness of this era was a welcomed change. New lifestyles and technologies made for exciting times. Les Années Folles had roared in with a vengeance. The mad years some called it. Automobiles were being produced in record
numbers, mass production now making them more affordable. As more and more cars
appeared on the roads, many were driven by these young “Flapper” women. As a result, city
living received a huge boom, and strides in birth control made women sexually freer. Silent movies played in picture houses, and
radios appeared in homes. This was the era of jazz, and over the top entertainment. Patrons flocked to musical halls and
speakeasies and talent like Josephine Baker and Maurice Chevalier found a home.
Oh, yes Paris was the beating heart. In Paris, you drank freely. Fashion was in vogue, and new artist got to showcase their talent. Architecture and design thrived, and the movers and inspirational thinkers of the day, drew from cubism, modernism and neoclassicism creating what is known today as art deco.
In Paris, struggling artists and writers found acceptance and appreciation. Women could walk arm in arm with each other without someone batting an eye. Paris was where American expat, Gertrude Stein, opened her house to the 'Lost Generation' of American literati, courting talent like Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Picasso and Matisse. So huge was the impact of these artists, that Left Bank cafés still live off their legacy today.
Until then, women had been considered
no better than chattel; creatures to be quickly married off to a handler/caretaker. Yes, we have a lot to thank the Twenties for. While I still think there is no better era to
live in than the here and now, had it not been for this light-hearted time in history, women
would probably still have jobs, and not careers, and we still wouldn't be heard. Today, politicians court women for our votes, and because we are well paid, we can walk away from abusive partners and buy homes.
As women, we have come a long way.
About Marcia King-Gamble
Marcia King-Gamble is a best selling author of over 40 novels and novellas. She is primarily known for her multi-cultural novels set in exotic parts of the world. You can find her on Facebook or at www.lovemarcia.com. Magnolia Moments is her latest full length novel.
