When you think of flappers, the first thing that comes to mind is the image of a woman dressed very similarly to Carey Mulligan in The Great Gatsby (2013 ), bob hair, low-waisted dress with white fringes, flat breasts and heavily made-up face. In the 1920s, after World War I, women's role in society began to change as they became more independent, both in clothing and actions. They challenged known appropriate female behavior, and along with those actions came new fashions. They refused to abide by any rules, whether those of their husbands or those of society. Today's modern women are a reflection of the women of the 1920s. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald assesses the changing attitudes of women in the 1920s in his depiction of the first wave of headstrong, fashionable American women, the flappers. Before World War I, a woman's life centered on her family, home, and children. According to Bryant Joyce, in his article How War Changed the Role of Women in the United States, a woman was known as a housewife. She was known to clean the house, take care of children, cook for her husband, prepare household utensils, mainly for cooking, and be extremely dependent on her husband's goodwill. Most women ran home bakeries, became nurses, unlicensed doctors, and midwives. They were not paid for their ongoing work, only men received money for their outside work (Bryant). Although denied political power, many women served as colleagues helping their husbands. According to Louise Bennet, in her article Women in the 1920s in North Carolina, women undoubtedly accepted the division of political labor. Family has always been the main concern of women. To serve their husbands and elders, they were dressed... middle of paper... attitudes of the women in The Great Gatsby. Through flappers, women today easily adapt to society. The Flappers have inspired us, and it is our duty to carry on the silent, endless work of our freedom. Works Cited Bryant, Joyce. "How the War Changed the Role of Women in the United States." Yale-New Haven Teachers College. Np, 23 August 2013. Web. 05 March 2014. Fitzgerald, F. Scott, and Matthew J. Bruccoli. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 1996. Print.Kim, Tae H. “Seattle General Strike: Where Women Worked During World War I.” Seattle General Strike: Where Women Worked During World War I, 2003. Web. February 26, 2014. McCarthy, Ellen. "Book Review: 'Flappers: Six Women of a Dangerous Generation' by Judith Mackrell." Washington Post. The Washington Post, January 18, 2014. Web. February 26, 2014. “The Roaring Twenties.” BBC News. Modern World History, BBC, Web. 24 February. 2014.