In the Victorian era, before the the early 19th Century, women were expected to stay home to take care of their children, tend to the chores until her husband arrived home, and wear the uppermost proper clothing. This was the age of classical music in America. But like a raging wind, world war one arrived and swept men out of their homes and into the line of fire. During this time women became a precious resource in the the workforce, throwing aside their binding corsets and entered the factory assembly lines! In this new paradigm new ideals came about as for a new music, it became the jazz age. In this paper I will cover the history of jazz and feminism, and how they came together to give women a sense of empowerment through the medium of
…show more content…
Before the jazz age there about 500 bars in new york city and women weren 't allowed to be seen with booze or cigarettes. But during prohibition (1920-1933) there were close to 3,500 speakeasies in New York alone. There women could smoke and drink freely. Due to the large competition for the best speakeasy in town, live jazz musicians were always on call so women and men could dance The Charleston at any joint in town.
Participatory jazz music especially empowered women to embrace the way their bodies moved. Through this medium dancers could express sensuality, excitement and carefree emotions. According to Thomas Torino author of Music as Social Life, “music can be a sign of identity” meaning that people can claim music as a part of themselves. The “new women” of the 1920’s used this music to make a statement that they were separate from their old fashioned predecessors. Jazz was their …show more content…
According to a the book Everybody 's Doin ' It: The Pre-World War I Dance Craze, the Castles, and the Modern American Girl, Lewis A. Erenberg states mayors and chairmen alike called the Jazz dancing and the Charleston a “degeneration of American Womanhood.” And they were not just talking about the popular dance craze but “border transformations in [culture] as a whole.” It was actually a popular belief among strict christians that music which makes feet tap and bodies move is a gateway for the devil. Some believed that The Charleston dance was the devil entering the body and cause some kind of hysteria in
Before the jazz age there about 500 bars in new york city and women weren 't allowed to be seen with booze or cigarettes. But during prohibition (1920-1933) there were close to 3,500 speakeasies in New York alone. There women could smoke and drink freely. Due to the large competition for the best speakeasy in town, live jazz musicians were always on call so women and men could dance The Charleston at any joint in town.
Participatory jazz music especially empowered women to embrace the way their bodies moved. Through this medium dancers could express sensuality, excitement and carefree emotions. According to Thomas Torino author of Music as Social Life, “music can be a sign of identity” meaning that people can claim music as a part of themselves. The “new women” of the 1920’s used this music to make a statement that they were separate from their old fashioned predecessors. Jazz was their …show more content…
According to a the book Everybody 's Doin ' It: The Pre-World War I Dance Craze, the Castles, and the Modern American Girl, Lewis A. Erenberg states mayors and chairmen alike called the Jazz dancing and the Charleston a “degeneration of American Womanhood.” And they were not just talking about the popular dance craze but “border transformations in [culture] as a whole.” It was actually a popular belief among strict christians that music which makes feet tap and bodies move is a gateway for the devil. Some believed that The Charleston dance was the devil entering the body and cause some kind of hysteria in