British Culture - User contributions [en]

Flapper

2012-01-03T11:44:21Z

Philipp Wolf: Created page with 'in the Roaring Twenties, the term "Flapper" described a modern type of women and a new trend that represented changes in women's lives and attitudes. 'Fun' was one of the very de…'

in the Roaring Twenties, the term "Flapper" described a modern type of women and a new trend that represented changes in women's lives and attitudes. 'Fun' was one of the very definitions of the flapper.

The term originated in Great Britain when a new trend of wearing rubber galoshes came into being where the galoshes were left open, making a flapping noise while walking. The term spread throughout the United States and Europe associated with liberated young women. It was also used as a description of girls of the awkward age, the mid-teens, suggesting they have yet not reached maturity and dignified womanhood.
The flapper was defined by boldness, confidence and sexappeal. Nutritional regimens were held to meet the requirements of the new fashion that asked for slim figures, flat chests and slim hips. The dresses were boxy, hanging straight from shoulder to knee, the waist was hidden and the legs visible. Compared to earlier fashion the style of the flapper allowed more freedom in movement. Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel was one of the most important designers for the flapper look.
Instead of having their hair long, flappers cut, bobbed, curled or waved them, generally wore short hair. Make up, which was usually expected to be worn by prostitutes, became important for the flapper style. The flapper's eyebrows were tweezed and they attempted to make their mouths look small and puckered like that of Clara Bow who was one of the leading models for the flappers. Sometimes people referred to her as the "It" girl for she was considered to have "it": she was openly sexual, innocent and fun.

The flapper was the embodiment of motion, intensity, energy, volatility. By their rather boyish appearance, volatile behaviour (swearing, smoking…) and unmarried status, the flapper challenged the female codes. The flapper repudiated traditional morality and femininity. Also, they made an assault on the prerogative of masculinity by competing with men in the business world and going to saloons drinking. The new trend meant a shock to conservatives who, unsuccessfully, attempted to prohibit the style by charging fines.

The end of the flapper era came with the stock market crash of 1929. The economic depression made society more serious almost overnight and affected the new women's style that was then defined again by dropped hemlines.

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Bibliography

"Flappers." Fashion, Costume, and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations, and Footwear through the Ages. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 3 January 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

Yellis, Kenneth A. "Prosperity's Child: Some Thoughts on the Flapper." American Quarterly 21:1 (Spring, 1969): 44-64.

Frankfurter Küche

2011-11-30T15:08:26Z

Philipp Wolf:

== Frankfurter Küche ==

The Frankfurter Küche, or Frankfurt Kitchen, is a type of kitchen allowing high productivity by the reduction of the lengths of operational routes. It was established by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, a Viennese architect in the 1920's.

Schütte-Lihotzky worked on a paper investigating in how architecture and interior design can reduce a woman's work in the household. In that time she worked in the Frankfurt building department for standardisation of building components. One of her aims was to put women out of the slavery of the household. Focussing on the kitchen as workstation, she measured the shortest ways to complete housework in order to reduce the worker's energy and time. The construction and aim of the Frankfurter Küche is orientated on Taylorism of which Schütte-Lihotzky heard in 1922. At about the same time, the American Christine Frederick published her book 'The New Housekeeping Efficiency Studies in Home Management' which was influential on Schütte-Lihotzky who saw that a woman's occupation would become more accepted in order to add up budget to the husband's income. The model of the Frankfurter Kitchen was to simplify the household in order to give women more time for their families, their children and themselves.

The architecture of the Frankfurter Küche was characterised by its long, rather narrow shape. That allows enough room for storage and short ways from one side to the other. Furthermore, a wide passage with sliding doors from kitchen to dining room allowed the woman in the Frankfurter Küche to communicate with her family and supervise her children whilst working.

It is differentiated between four types of the Frankfurter Küche: the kitchen-living-room, the kitchenette, the working-kitchen and the dining-kitchen. The structural foundation consists of an extractor fan (to keep the mist out), a food box (before refrigerators were affordable), pedestals (to make cleaning beneath the single elements easier), a broom and rubbish closet and a breast wall (to make it easier to open the window). Furthermore, the room between the upper cupboards and the ceiling was closed in order to have no dust on the surfaces. More (innovative) details of the Frankfurter Küche are the sink, cooking-box, workbench and a ditch for garbage, drawers for dry groceries, an ironing board integrated in the wall and artificial, movable illumination.

The pragmatism and functionality of the Frankfurter Küche evoked international echoes and excitement. Its basic structure was influential on the interior design of following kitchens.

'''Works Cited:'''

Schütte-Lihotzky, Margarete; Peter Noever. ''Die Frankfurter Küche: Die Frankfurter Küche aus der Sammlung des MAK - Österreichisches Museum für Angewandte Kunst, Wien''. Berlin: Ernst, 1992.

Schütte-Lihotzky, Margarete. ''Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky. Soziale Architektur. Zeitzeugin eines Jahrhunderts''. Wien: Böhlau, 1996.

Frankfurter Küche

2011-11-30T15:07:57Z

Philipp Wolf: Created page with '== Frankfurter Küche == The Frankfurter Küche, or Frankfurt Kitchen, is a type of kitchen allowing high productivity by the reduction of the lengths of operational routes. It …'

== Frankfurter Küche ==

The Frankfurter Küche, or Frankfurt Kitchen, is a type of kitchen allowing high productivity by the reduction of the lengths of operational routes. It was established by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, a Viennese architect in the 1920's.
Schütte-Lihotzky worked on a paper investigating in how architecture and interior design can reduce a woman's work in the household. In that time she worked in the Frankfurt building department for standardisation of building components. One of her aims was to put women out of the slavery of the household. Focussing on the kitchen as workstation, she measured the shortest ways to complete housework in order to reduce the worker's energy and time. The construction and aim of the Frankfurter Küche is orientated on Taylorism of which Schütte-Lihotzky heard in 1922. At about the same time, the American Christine Frederick published her book 'The New Housekeeping Efficiency Studies in Home Management' which was influential on Schütte-Lihotzky who saw that a woman's occupation would become more accepted in order to add up budget to the husband's income. The model of the Frankfurter Kitchen was to simplify the household in order to give women more time for their families, their children and themselves.
The architecture of the Frankfurter Küche was characterised by its long, rather narrow shape. That allows enough room for storage and short ways from one side to the other. Furthermore, a wide passage with sliding doors from kitchen to dining room allowed the woman in the Frankfurter Küche to communicate with her family and supervise her children whilst working.
It is differentiated between four types of the Frankfurter Küche: the kitchen-living-room, the kitchenette, the working-kitchen and the dining-kitchen. The structural foundation consists of an extractor fan (to keep the mist out), a food box (before refrigerators were affordable), pedestals (to make cleaning beneath the single elements easier), a broom and rubbish closet and a breast wall (to make it easier to open the window). Furthermore, the room between the upper cupboards and the ceiling was closed in order to have no dust on the surfaces. More (innovative) details of the Frankfurter Küche are the sink, cooking-box, workbench and a ditch for garbage, drawers for dry groceries, an ironing board integrated in the wall and artificial, movable illumination.
The pragmatism and functionality of the Frankfurter Küche evoked international echoes and excitement. Its basic structure was influential on the interior design of following kitchens.

'''Works Cited:'''

Schütte-Lihotzky, Margarete; Peter Noever. ''Die Frankfurter Küche: Die Frankfurter Küche aus der Sammlung des MAK - Österreichisches Museum für Angewandte Kunst, Wien''. Berlin: Ernst, 1992.

Schütte-Lihotzky, Margarete. ''Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky. Soziale Architektur. Zeitzeugin eines Jahrhunderts''. Wien: Böhlau, 1996.