Etiquette of The 1920’s

Fundamental Etiquette of the 1920’s

             To state that the roaring twenties was an era predominated by affluent and incautious spenders, although true, would be slightly contradictory. There existed within high society, apart from the nouveau riche, a sect of people who valued etiquette not as simple gestures of graciousness and politeness, but rather as guides for all aspects of life. Their activities and behavior dictated the movement of the rest of society, and all the intricacies of good behavior provided support for such a system. To succeed, one had to be perfect in the eyes of others.

            The perfect gentleman must never borrow money from a woman. The perfect gentleman must never talk about his money or possessions. The perfect gentleman must never monetarily take advantage of a woman. It’s rather interesting to note that while the differences in socioeconomic classes are largely due to different incomes, it’s very impolite, even looked down upon, to bring up the topic.

            Even more strict and perplexing is the etiquette revolving around marriage. A gentleman never criticizes the behavior of a wife whose conduct is scandalous. “No matter who he may be, whether rich or poor, in high life or low, the man who publicly besmirches his wife’s name, besmirches still more his own, and proves that he is not, was not, and never will be, a gentleman.”  ( Post ) Even when faced with adultery and scandals, a man must keep his cool temper controlled. Any signs of emotion, whether it be anger, fear, or hatred, are simply bad form in public. Men must conform to these strict standards almost to the point where their ability to be human is limited. Conformity is therefore, much more important than today’s world that values variety and self-expression.

            Last and most important of all, one must not act like a social climber. There is a very simple way to tell apart a social climber from a member of old money, and that is to pay attention to how many acquaintances he or she flaunts. A respectable, polite member of upper class society would never do the latter. As Emily Post concludes, “When you see a woman in silks and sables and diamonds speak to a little errand girl or a footman or a scullery maid as though they were the dirt under her feet, you may be sure of one thing; she hasn’t come a very long way from the ground herself.”

            For both men and women, upper class society and its expectations were brutal and unnecessarily staunch. The punishments for breaking any rules of etiquette repeatedly were harsh. One would not be accepted anymore or welcome to formal dinner parties. I personally believe this whole system to be ridiculously flawed, especially with all the high standards. I would approximate that ninety percent of the modern world does not practice any of this etiquette anymore, but this generation has left its mark on us. We still hold doors open for women and dine in the same manner, so all is not lost. Rather, it is just proper etiquette to be more casual.

Works Cited

Post, Emily. Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics and at Home. New York: Funk &    

            Wagnalls, 1922. Bartleby.com www.bartleby.com/95/. [4/6/09].