Glamorization
"I discovered, for instance, that a spare tire could be filled with substances other than air, that one must not look too deeply into certain binoculars, and that the Teddy Bears that suddenly acquired tremendous popularity among the ladies very often had hollow metal stomachs." - Count Felix von Luckner, a man who visited the U.S. during Prohibition ("Prohibition, 1927...")
The passing of the Volstead Act caused alcohol to become glamorized and popular amongst Americans.
In the media before Prohibition, drinkers were seen as flawed characters (Blocker). Thanks to the consumerism of the roaring twenties, when alcohol became both illegal and expensive it also became fashionable (Worth 97). The new popularity could be seen in novels, films, and magazines (Blocker).
"But higher prices did not stop Americans from drinking. The 1920s was a prosperous era of enormous consumerism. Americans went on a spending spree...Drinking was part of this wave of consumerism. It was carried on by millions of Americans who wanted to indulge themselves." (Worth 99).
Lower classes couldn't afford alcohol due to its rise in price, so it was the wealthy men who claimed the image of alcohol during Prohibition (Engdahl 59). Speakeasies, illegal bars that sold alcohol, became classy and popular; they often had live entertainment from well-known celebrities (Slavicek 61).
"Among their [high-end speakeasies] clientele were many of the nation's most glamorous celebrities, including Broadway, vaudeville, and silent film stars, professional athletes, and even politicians such as New York City's mayor ... Jimmy 'Beau James' Walker." (Slavicek 62).
Following the trend, women played a startling role as they sported a picture of public drinking (Blocker). Middle and high class women, especially the popular and fun-loving flappers of the 1920s, frequented speakeasies (Slavicek 62).
"[Speakeasies] became a motif as central to her popular depiction as bobbed hair, short skirts, and rolled stockings; ... drinking became a new way for women ... to express their 'smartness' and sophistication." - Michael Lerner (Slavicek 62).
The illegal nature of alcohol brought about the rebellious nature of teenagers, causing them to become interested in drinking ("Prohibition 1927...") Since speakeasies had no age limit, children could go in and purchase alcohol whenever they wished (Engdahl 81). This caused children to grow up with a lack of respect for the law (Worth 102).
"In preprohibition days, mothers had little fear in regard to the saloon as far as their children were concerned. A saloon-keeper's license was revoked if he was caught selling liquor to minors. Today in any speakeasy in the United States you can find boys and girls in their teens drinking liquor." - Pauline Sabin, once a supporter of Prohibition and founder of WONPR: Women's Organization for National Prohibition Reform (Engdahl 81).