The Twenties - The women’s decade

A two part series from André Meier | 2021 | rbb | mdr | arte

Speeding down the road on her motorcycle or in her convertible, rushing down the sidewalks in short skirts and flesh-coloured silk stockings, populating coffeehouses, sporting a Dixie cut and cigarette holder, entering the dance floors, cabarets and night clubs of the big cities in a Charleston dress – the woman of the Golden Twenties – celebrated by the advertisement and entertainment industries alike.

It is often forgotten that these tough women were more than just a screen or a fashion phenomenon.

With their scandalous appearances, their unorthodox life styles and their extravagant self-styling, the cover girls and Hollywood stars of the Twenties became role models for millions of nameless women.

Their clothing, hairstyle and attitude became the symbol of a new self-determined feminine identity. For the first time in history, women across the board stepped out of the shadows of men. During the war, women had to fill the positions left behind by the men who were called to the front. They subsequently demanded universal suffrage, societal participation and sexual self-determination.

The Arte documentary returns to the hotspots of this great, global emancipation movement. The film delves deep into the heated atmosphere of the 20s, using historical and current images from New York, Paris, Berlin and Moscow, focusing on all characters of this decade, from the cocaine snorting nude dancers to the underpaid switch board operators and the icon demolishing Komsomolets.