Bernice Bobs Her Hair

A key issue for F. Scott Fitzgerald as a Modernist writer was the rapidly shifting social norms of the early 20th century. During World War I, women took on new work to replace the men in military service. As a result, women’s suffrage was granted in 1920 through ratification of the 19th Amendment. Along with economic and political shifts, women demonstrated cultural, appearance-based shifts in femininity through shorter hair and looser clothes, forgoing the literal and figurative restrictions of the previous century’s tight-laced corsets. In “Bernice Bobs Her Hair,” Marjorie represents the expectations and desires of Jazz Age women, in contrast to the traditional viewpoints of her mother and Bernice.

The perspective of past generations is demonstrated several times through social censure, which Marjorie rejects. First, the balcony at the country club dance is full of matrons who are there to oversee “proper” behavior. However, at this event and others like it, Marjorie disappears. By escaping watchful eyes, Marjorie not only frustrates suitors like Warren but also rejects the matrons’ ability to supervise, and thereby control, her behavior. Marjorie knows that those with traditional standards disapprove of her independent actions, as she reveals to her mother after the opening party: “I’ll bet she consoles herself by thinking that she’s very virtuous and that I’m too gay and fickle and will come to a bad end” (362). This response makes it clear that Marjorie finds fault with such criticism, but none with her own actions. She is similarly firm in rejecting her mother’s conciliatory views. Marjorie ignores her mother’s advice and gives up on explaining her perspective: “People over forty can seldom be permanently convinced of anything” (363). Though standards for women’s behavior are based on generational norms, as this comment indicates, they are not exclusively bound by age. Not only does Marjorie know women her own age who criticize her behavior, but the contrasting expectations are the basis of her conflict with Bernice.

Bernice’s uncertain traditional approach is a counterpoint to Marjorie’s confidence in her modern identity. At first, Bernice aligns with that “virtuous” perspective that Marjorie dismisses. As a result, she struggles to connect with Marjorie, who has “no female intimates” because she “consider[s] girls stupid” (360). Fitzgerald presents this contrast in a way that expresses pity for Bernice’s isolated situation but also satirizes her standards for what constitutes femininity. As Bernice experiences the pleasures of popularity once she embraces Marjorie’s advice, Bernice’s grip on her conservative values loosens. She gains confidence and social independence. However, when Bernice realizes her relationship with Warren has hurt Marjorie, she feels “suddenly and horribly guilty” (374), indicating that abandoning her old-fashioned views of femininity didn’t equate to abandoning her integrity. Cutting her “long voluptuous” hair, which hangs “in a dark-brown glory down her back” (377), represents the ultimate act of rejecting traditional femininity. Yet it doesn’t result in a feeling of liberation for Bernice because the act is motivated by peer pressure, not by a true belief that a bob haircut symbolizes feminine empowerment. Instead, cutting off Marjorie’s braids becomes the act of empowerment that liberates Bernice. It symbolizes her rejection of society telling her how she must look and act to be accepted as something she inherently is—feminine.