flapper 的词源

1560年代，“拍打的东西或人”，来自 flap (v.) 的动词名词。

1889年记录到“非常年轻的女性妓女”的意义，但该词在当代来源中也用于“任何年轻女孩”的意义。最初的建议似乎是年轻女孩习惯佩戴的长辫子或马尾（与成年女性的盘发相对），它们本身可以被称为 flappers 或 flaps。

When I first caught sight of the Flapper she was standing on the island in front of the Ritz […] I studied her thoughtfully, the blue serge coat and Peter Pan collar, the familiar sailor hat with the school ribbon round it — I started. Ye gods! Her hair! The customary long chestnut plait had disappeared. Had she in the course of some outrageous prank cut it off? Sacrilege! Struck dumb with horror, I remained glued to the pavement in front of the Ritz. […] It seemed that the Flapper had been allowed — “just for to-day, because it’s so near the end of the holidays” — to do her hair in a door-knocker instead of a plait. [A.E. James, “Trouble with the Flapper” The London Magazine, January 1911.]

当我第一次看到Flapper时，她站在丽兹酒店前的岛上 […] 我认真地打量她，蓝色呢大衣和彼得潘领子，熟悉的水手帽上系着校服丝带——我惊呆了。天哪！她的头发！习惯性的长栗色辫子不见了。她是否在某个离谱的恶作剧中剪掉了它？亵渎！我因恐惧而哑口无言，呆呆地站在丽兹酒店前的 pavement 上。[A.E. James, “Trouble with the Flapper” The London Magazine, January 1911.]

时尚Flapper始于1895年，最初指的是一个外向、身材纤细的成年女性，她将头发扎成女孩式的辫子、卷发或马尾。早期的采用者往往是运动员和职业舞者。它与伦敦皮卡迪利地区以及以前位于 Strand 的 Gaiety Theatre 有关；但到1914年，《Vanity Fair》的一篇文章戏谑地 lamented “Flapper 的消逝”，以迎合新的女性风格。然而，这个词仍然用于一般年轻女孩，很快在1916年被应用于短裙的新时尚（类似于年轻女孩传统上穿的，而不是成年女性穿的脚踝长裙），“flapper-length skirt”。

由于皮卡迪利的旧 Flappers 往往是合唱团女孩，这个词在1912年扩展到女演员，到了1917年，它已成为任何职业女性的代名词。在英国，这个词在投票权辩论中带上了政治色彩。

"Flapper" is the popular press catch-word for an adult woman worker, aged twenty-one to thirty, when it is a question of giving her the vote under the same conditions as men of the same age. [Punch, Nov. 30, 1927]

“Flapper”是大众传媒对一位21至30岁成年女性工人的流行用词，当讨论在同样条件下给予她投票权时。[Punch, Nov. 30, 1927]

“性放荡的女性”的意义在1914年出现，可能源自合唱团女孩/女演员的意义，而不是年轻妓女的意义（合唱团女孩以依赖男性欣赏者的经济资助而闻名）。这是1920年代文本中最常被感受到的意义，抨击Flapper。

Immodest Dress. - For some strange reason too many of our modern girls seem to enjoy being called flappers. She glories in the lustful looks and vulgar comments which her appearance calls forth on the street. With bobbed hair, three coats of paint and powder, with plucked eyebrows, artificial eyelashes, and carmine lips, with low necked, short sleeved, and generously peekabooed waist, with an abbreviated skirt and rolled down silk hose, just meeting below the knees, and all the rest of it, she blithely pursues her ill fated course. If people turn to stare in horror stricken amazement, her costume is a success; if she passes unnoticed then something must be done. Her sketchy costume cannot fail to arouse the passions of men and boys. To all outward appearances she is attempting to imitate the woman of the streets. And she succeeds. [J.L. Nichols, "Safe Counsel; or, Practical Eugenics" 1927.]

不端的穿着。- 出于某种奇怪的原因，我们的许多现代女孩似乎喜欢被称为Flappers。她在街上因外貌而引发的淫荡目光和粗俗评论中感到自豪。她的头发剪短，涂抹着三层粉底和腮红，修饰着拔掉的眉毛，佩戴着假睫毛和胭脂嘴唇，穿着低领短袖和慷慨透视的腰身，搭配着短裙和卷起的丝质袜子，刚好在膝盖以下，所有这些，她愉快地追求着她那不幸的道路。如果人们因震惊的惊讶而转过头来盯着她，她的服装就是成功的；如果她毫无注意地经过，那么就必须做些什么。她那草率的服装必定会激起男人和男孩的欲望。从外表来看，她似乎在试图模仿街头女性。而且她成功了。[J.L. Nichols, "Safe Counsel; or, Practical Eugenics" 1927.]

值得注意的是，上述描述来自一本科学教科书。