& & All That Jazz Acrylic on Canvas,Two Flappers Courtesy of artist Mo Welch mowelch.theartistsweb.co.uk THE ROARING TWENTIES the mold. Some say the term refers to a young bird, almost ready to leave the nest and flapping its wings with gay abandon. After WWI ended, women were reluctant to relinquish the autonomy they had when, in the absence of fathers, husbands and brothers who fought in the war, they made their own decisions. It was the beginning of the modern woman, in the form of the vivaciously captivating flapper. Today we may be surprised to learn how much we have benefited from the audacious flappers of the Jazz Age. Before WWI, woman led a sheltered existence in many ways. The demure lady of the Edwardian era wore long skirts and voluminous pantaloons. Her long hair was worn up in complex styles. She had very little control over her life. When depicted, she looked down — unlike the flapper who openly, some said brazenly, looked straight ahead. The flapper took on life in the same way she addressed a camera — boldly, unflinchingly, head held high and straight on. Flappers voted, wore hair and dresses short, used makeup, smoked cigarettes, drank alcohol openly, danced and dated whomever they liked. Flappers cut their long hair short, in a bob, and enhanced their looks with makeup. Stars like Mary Pickford and Clara Bow used a lot of makeup during the black and white movie days; their supplier was Max Factor. In the 1920s the company made their cosmetics available to the public. Flappers embraced them: they rouged their cheeks, coloured their lips red By Melissa Reynolds ith the release of “The Great Gatsby” remake and the mega-popularity of TV series Downton Abbey, interest in the flamboyant 1920s is roaring once again, almost a century later. The flapper is the iconic image of that post-WWI, post-Edwardian era; she delights and captures our imagination. Historians note that the 1920s heralded the first time that youth was celebrated over age. Young women, dubbed “flappers”, broke W 68 Wedding Essentials 2013