This photo is of four friends at a beach party; it looks very innocent at first glance. They are all wearing one-piece bathing suits or dresses which seems very modest except at this time it was not. Every single one of their outfits goes above their knees, and some of their necklines are lowered, exposing their chest and having short sleeves. The "usual" swimsuit style consisted of women wearing long knit loose one-pieces that covered from their neck down to below the knee, and women would wear socks or stockings with the swimsuit (Lee). This new prominent stream of fashion caused controversy because women began to wear skin-tight bathing suits. The body exposure that went with it led men and some women to deem it inappropriate to be dressed this way in public.
At the beginning of the 1920s, women slowly started to raise the length of their evening gowns. It first started with a few inches above the ankle, and by the mid-1920s, it was raised above the knee. Vintage Dancer's website mentions how "Fabrics were very luxurious – velvet, silk, satin, layers of chiffon and lamé. Gold and silver metallic were eye-catching color choices. Cream, pastels, and jewel tones were also common to see." This dress is made of silk, and, like said in the article, it was very common to see in women trying to make a subtle statement on how you can be conservative yet express yourself and your body simultaneously. With that being said, it did not change the opinions of those who disagreed with the new version of women's fashion. On September 18, 1920, a newspaper, Riverside Daily Press, was printed out where a man in an article stated, "I liked the simplicity in a dress, he said, and hate to see a woman gallivanting around, with dresses to the knee. Now yonder is a girl who knows the proper thing to wear; observe her gown of modest length and smoothly parted hair."
Something the 1920s was known for was Flappers. Flappers were not just young party girls; they believed in equality and that they could do anything a man could do. Their fashion was based on the desire to change societies norm's, as well as be comfortable. Allysia Sulaiman states, "Through fashion, Flappers expressed their emotions. Flappers adopted the "garconne" or little boy look. This style deemphasized the mature female form by flattening the chest, dropping waistlines to hips, and shortening the hems of skirts and dresses." These women wanted to prove the flaws in the traditional views placed on women. This dress is an example of what flappers would wear; it is made of silk, rhinestones and is sleeveless. A big way that Flappers would go against the ideas of how women should act is to dance at jazz clubs in dresses like the one here. Flappers contributed to the development of American culture through their fashion statements and what they stood for.