The 1920s brought forth many changes in American culture and society, including the "New Woman". This new woman was like a rebel to her "Gibson Girl" mother with the new scandalous skirt length of two inches below the knee (the shortest length it had been in history), the short hair, the makeup, and the nerve to leave the domestic life and enter into the male dominated world of jobs and politics. There also arose a new kind of woman, the Flapper, who was a symbol of young women's freedom and independence. This "New Woman" did receive opposition from conservative forces in society, including churches and groups like the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). However, this independence of women led to gaining the right to vote and having equal rights with men.
The "Gibson Girl", was a termed coined after artist Charles Dana Gibson drew what he thought to be the ideal woman. This woman wore a long, dropped waist skirt, had her long hair pulled up atop her head in an elegant bun, and was the epitome of poise and elegance. The "New Woman" however, was quite different. Instead of being poised and elegant, the "New Woman" spoke her mind and demanded that her voice be heard. She wanted equal rights in the work place as well as in politics. One in four women over the age of 16 were a part of the workforce. Women's groups such as Woman's Christian Temperance Union(WCTU), Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), and the General Federation of Women's Clubs consolidated into national organizations and achieved greater prominence for women - especially married, middle-class women, in public activities. More women went to college and entered into the workplace, supporting themselves, and sometimes even a family. The 19th Amendment, passed in 1920, gave women the right to vote and have a voice in politics. .
A woman even more independent than the "New Woman" and almost the complete opposite from the "Gibson Girl" was the Flapper.
