Women's Rights. Kathy Peiss Book Cheap amusements - Essay Example

Section/# An Examination and Discussion of Kathy Peiss’ Book Cheap Amusement One of the most interesting dynamics that took place around the turn of the century was the change that was exhibited with regards to women’s rights and the means by which elements within society sought to integrate themselves into the culture and workforce in ways that had never before been seen. Apart from being an important step towards the feminist movement, these indicators were also powerful and important with regards to the future of the Civil Rights movement within the United States and seeking to integrate all of society into what had previously been a club dominated by old, white men. One of the authors that best elaborates on this particular situation within American history is Kathy Peiss in her book, Cheap Amusements. As a function of this understanding of womanhood that Kathy Peiss puts forward in her book, this brief analysis will seek to answer the following questions: what changes around work and leisure occurred during the progressive Era, how did women’s embrace of style fashion romanced and mixed sex fun create new opportunities for independence for these women, and how did working class women’s embrace of those very same things also contribute to their being oppressed or discriminate against. Accordingly, by examining each of these determinants, it is the hope of this author that the analysis will be able to point to the greatest strengths and aspects of definitions that Peiss puts forward. Furthermore it is the hope of this author that through analysis of Peiss’ writing, the individual can gain a more clear and complete understanding of the means by which societal change and cultural change integrates itself within the modern era. One of the greatest changes that place during the Progressive Era was the integration of women into the workforce. Although many individuals might be led to believe that this did not take place until the Second World War, the fact of the matter is that the First World War offered a wealth of opportunities within the labor force provided by the vacancies left by men in the armed services. As a result of this change within the Progressive Era, the women within society were able to enjoy a great degree of liberalization with regards to both professional opportunity as well as cultural integration that had previously not been realized. With regards to the realities that existed for women within society prior to this point, Peiss notes the following: “the working class woman discussed in the following pages typically were immigrants or daughters of immigrants, lived in…tenement districts, and labored for wages while unmarried” (Peiss 9). As a result of this rigid stratification that existed, women were utterly unable to penetrate the cultural constraints that previously defined their existence. As a result of the changes that were realized, not only were labor opportunities made available but also the style of fashion and clothing came to represent a more manly and boyish dynamic that had previously been unheard of. Accordingly, the most popular woman’s hairstyles became bobs whereas with regards to the style of clothing, flapper fashion came into existence; representing a unique and noticeable divergent from the Victorian era where full length dresses were the norm. Whereas many people would seek to disregard fashion as indicative of any greater level of independence or feminism within the population, the fact of the matter is that the changes that were enjoyed an experienced during the Progressive Era had a noticeable impact on the level of freedom, culture, and social mobility that the women of that time were able to experience within society. Moreover, the changing norms of the time, alongside the differential that was experienced with regards to the degree that women and men could spend time together and mixed company without the horse societal judgments that it previously existed, allowed for a great liberalize ancient with regards to the independence that women’s could ultimately enjoy. Rather than going into depth with regards to the extent to which the theories provided by the Progressive Era were trickle up or trickle down theories with respect to the level in which society embraced these, Peiss instead notes that the line of cultural transformation that was realized ultimately traveled in both directions (Peiss 8). Although it may be convenient to assume that the levels of change that Herein been illustrated ultimately led to a society wide embrace of previous sexism, the fact of the matter is that the level and extent to which a greater degree of freedom was realized from the determinants that herein been discussed was somewhat more limited than one might at first imagine. This is due to the fact that as with any cultural norm the difficulty of changing society’s interpretation of the place of a woman was not something that could merely be affected overnight; nor within the space of a particular movement within American society. Rather, although women embraced the new freedoms that they had been able to realize many aspects of judgment and censure were placed upon them both for their activities, style of dress, and integration within the labor force. It was understood by many within society that such activities were understating of a woman and reflected negatively upon her own sexuality, identity, and the leaves natural born predilection to being child raisers. Ultimately, this particular book posted integrate the reader with the understanding that societal changes are oftentimes interminably slow and are not reflected by the mass or majority of population of the times. This has a particular connotation enduring for the present time in which other key issues of contention, within movements that are currently exhibited, divide popular opinion and help to set apart these standards that must be integrated within society as a function of time. Due to the level of analysis that Peiss helps the reader to gain with regards to the Progressive Era, and more broad understanding of the means by which the feminist movement within the United States developed, integrated itself within society, fashion, and culture, and subsequently provided lasting effects up until the current day is exhibited. Work Cited Peiss, Kathy L. Cheap amusements : working women and leisure in turn-of-the-century New York. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1986. Print. Read More