Bob Hairstyle and the Idea of the New Woman: Bernice's Personal Autonomy in F. Scott Fitzgerald's Bernice Bobs Her Hair (1920)

NASHITAH, Achmad Munjid, Ph.D.

2021 | Skripsi | S1 SASTRA INGGRIS

The Flappers dicatat sebagai wanita independen pertama di Amerika karena revolusi mereka dalam feminitas yang membuat mereka menjadi ikon New Woman di Roaring Twenties. Pada tahun 1920, F. Scott Fitzgerald dengan indah menggambarkan mereka dalam salah satu karya pertamanya, Bernice Bobs Her Hair. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengungkap proses tokoh utama menuju otonomi pribadinya untuk membebaskan diri dari masyarakat yang terjebak di tengah era Victoria dan era baru yang memiliki keyakinan yang saling bertentangan. Ide gaya rambut bob dan kemunculan New Woman masih dianggap kontroversial, yang memiliki andil signifikan dalam penindasan yang diterima Bernice. Data dikumpulkan secara kualitatif dan dianalisis menggunakan teori oleh Liberal Feminis, Barbara Rowland-Serdar dan Peregrine Schwartz-Shea, yang mengungkapkan otonomi pribadi (Personal Autonomy) adalah pilihan untuk merespon (choosing to respond). Berdasarkan teori tersebut, seorang perempuan dapat mencapai kemandirian pribadinya jika telah melalui tiga langkah ini, Reacting, Reflecting, dan Responding. Pada awalnya, Bernice mengabdikan dirinya untuk memantau persepsi orang lain tentang dirinya. Oleh karena itu, tindakannya dibuat sesuai dengan apa yang dilakukan, diyakini, dan dirasakan oleh masyarakat di sekitarnya, yang disebut reacting. Ketika Bernice ditipu dan dipaksa untuk memotong rambutnya menjadi rambut bob, dia mulai memikirkan tentang dirinya (reflecting). Dia mengakui dan menerima perasaannya dan setiap situasi yang dia alami. Setelah dia melakukan langkah sebelumnya, dia mulai merespons (responding). Tindakannya akhirnya didasarkan pada dirinya, nilai-nilai, keyakinan, dan perasaannya sendiri. Hasil dari penelitian ini adalah Bernice mencapai otonomi pribadinya karena dia tahu dia memiliki kemampuan untuk menanggapi orang dan situasi daripada bereaksi, yang ditunjukkan dengan pilihannya yang membebaskan dirinya.

The Flappers are chronicled as the first independent American women as their revolution in femininity turned them to be the icon of the New Woman in the Roaring Twenties. In 1920, F. Scott Fitzgerald beautifully portrays them in one of his earlier works, Bernice Bobs Her Hair. This research aims to uncover the main character, Bernice's process towards her personal autonomy to liberate herself from the society that was stuck in the middle of Victorian and new eras that had contradictory beliefs. The ideas of bob hairstyle and emergence of New Woman were still considered as controversial, which had significant parts in oppression that Bernice received. Data were collected qualitatively and analyzed using Liberal Feminists, Barbara Rowland-Serdar and Peregrine Schwartz-Shea�s Personal Autonomy theory as choosing to respond. Based on the theory, a woman can achieve her personal autonomy if she has gone through these three steps, Reacting, Reflecting, and Responding. At first, Bernice devoted herself to monitoring other people's perceptions of her. Therefore, her actions were made according to what her society does, believes, and feels, which was called reacting. When Bernice was tricked and forced to cut her hair into a bob, she started to reflect. She acknowledged and accepted her feelings and every situation that she had been involved in. After she had done the previous step, she began to respond. Her actions were finally based on herself, her values, beliefs, and feelings. The result of the research is Bernice achieves her personal autonomy as she knows she has an ability to respond to people and situations rather than to react, which shows by her action that liberates herself.

Kata Kunci : personal autonomy, bob hair, the flappers, new woman, Roaring Twenties, Fitzgerald