The decade of the Roaring Twenties is considered to be the key period in redefining women’s role in society. During the 1920s values of preceding Victorian generation were rejected and women were fighting for freedom and equality of rights. Thanks to women’s emancipation, the 1920s played an important role in changing view on female sexuality. The aim of my thesis is to analyse those changes – the shift in sexual mores; what caused that society began rejecting Victorian values, and how those changes helped women to gain more freedom to express their own sexuality and to become less oppressed by men.
I would like to compare the generation of women before the World War I and the generation of women after the War. The thesis is going to deal with the questions such as how the role of women in the 1920s differed from the previous generations; why the substantial changes happened exactly during this period and what could be the cause.
In the first part of my thesis I am going to focus on female sexuality, morals and mores defined by the Victorians. In the second part I am going to explain the importance of the World War I in redefining women’s sexuality and their role in “men’s” world. Finally, I would like to highlight the connection between newly established film industry and the huge influence of film stars on loosening sexual morals and stereotypes. The aim of the thesis would be to prove that the 1920s meant a substantial shift in sexual mores, and that women were a step closer to becoming equal to men.