Cheap Amusements
...ces as factories and department stores, places with a set time of work and a set amount of pay. At the beginning, women would use their leisure time to gossip with the other women of the work force. But over time, different forms of entertainment sprung up. The three major forms of entertainment that started to change the way women spent their free time were the dance halls, the amusements parks, and the movie theaters. With having a set work time, the women also had a set leisure time. This time was very important to them and they spent it in various ways. When dance halls were created, women were able to socialize in an environment with the opposite sex in a safe, but uncontrolled setting. There were no parents around to monitor them. Being able to interact with the males in such a place was a big step in the development of women and their social lives. Women would attend these dance halls as much as possible, but they could only do it when they had the money. When they met men, they were able to go out to the dance halls and the men would treat them. They didn’t have to pay. However, Peiss mentions that though the dance halls created and advanced the social lives of women, it also made them easier to be taken advantage of by men. Amusement parks also provided a new leisure time for women, and also many other people. The amusement park that was attended by everyone was Coney Island. Coney Island provided entertainment for everyone from the average household family to the teenagers, and eventually even to the middle class. For women, this provided a similar environment as the dance halls. It placed women together with men in a safe and unsupervised environment. They could interact with one another all day long and just have a good time. Theaters existed before movies were invented, but the average working women couldn’t afford to go. With the advent of the motion picture, women could go to the movies and have a whole night’s worth of entertainment for only a nickel. Movies often related to the working class people. The movies were also a family establishment, so once again it was not dangerous and women could interact with each other and the opposite sex without interference. The middle class tried to reform the entertainment industry when they noticed the change in the working class female social life. The women were making their own money, doing their own things during time of leisure and the middle class saw this as a move away from their dependence on men. The middle class wanted to change the way that organized entertainment worked and make it harder for the working class to enjoy the entertainment. Because of the attempted reforms of the middle class, there was conflict between the women of both classes. All in all, the efforts of the middle class to reform entertainment failed and the working class wome...