Roaring Love in the Roaring Twenties

The Jazz Age. An era of new, shiny things— flashy nightlife, extravagant parties, and the lively music of tipsy, outrageous youth. But aside from material elements, this era brought sexual liberation, redefinitions of age old gender roles, and the freedom to choose how you wanted to find love. However, to really understand how revolutionary this era was for romance, we have to go all the way back to the Victorian Era. 

In the 1800s (back before dating was even a thing), men used to use calling cards during the ‘social season’ (spring and summer) to court young women as their wives. Men looking to court a woman would give their card of information to the butler, and line up in her house. Each would have some time to talk to her parents, have refreshments, and watch her play piano, sing, or display some other talent solely for the man’s entertainment. Marriage wasn’t just a relationship between two people at the time, but a family affair. The general age for a woman to enter the social season as a potential wife was 16 to 18, and yes, men of any age could call on her. Any age. Cue vomit sounds. And a woman’s sole purpose? Look pretty and make lots of children. 

Now, the twenties was an entirely different story. And even though changes definitely occurred between the Victorian era and the Jazz age, the twenties was a time of complete and utter disregard for conservative marriage for the first time in American history. There was a collective shift in the romantic lives of young Americans, such as:

1. With more men and women attending college and being independent earlier on in their lives, more people entered carefree relationships not solely for marriage. 

2. Whether it’s illegal drinking, partying, or hard drugs— you name it, the youth of the twenties 100% did it. 

3. The invention of birth control brought a new wave of freedom to young women and opened up taboo discussions of premarital sex for the first time.

4. Flappers redefined what it meant to be a woman in American society, and fought against the typical stereotype of women only serving as wives and mothers. 

5. Many started experimenting with their sexuality, and gay culture and communities blossomed during this time of identity exploration. 

Men and women, young and old, wealthy and poor— everyone had their share of challenges and victories in the roaring twenties. It was a crazy, uncontrollable time, and will always be viewed as a widespread rebellion of American social norms, especially in the love department. Who knows, maybe cupid got a little tipsy too. 

From, 

Vinaya 💌