Gender fluidity and cross-dressing were common themes in women’s fashion throughout the 1920s. Whether a fashion- conscious pose or a political statement signaling newfound freedom and agency – following the achievement of national suffrage in the US in 1920 – the appropriation of male attire took many forms, ranging from youthful play-acting to more transgressive expressions of gender identity. The flapper, with her short hair and slim, boyish figure, became an emblem of the decade. Shot by Fox News cameraman Eric Mayell in Seattle, Washington, likely in January 1926, these newsreel outtakes show a woman being fitted for a men’s suit before posing alongside other young women as men, sporting jackets, bow ties, suspenders, derby hats, and hands in their pockets. Their gestures underscore the performative nature of the scene, whether dancing the Charleston, lighting a cigarette, or drinking from a water fountain in a deliberately masculine manner.

Daniela Currò