Victor Margueritte was stripped of the Legion of Honour after the publication of his novel <em>La Garçonne</em> (1922). Margueritte scandalised France with the theme of female liberation: the main character, Monique, is a hedonistic young woman, who dabbles in drugs and lesbianism. Although the character was fictional, similar behaviour played out in real life: young women were behaving like their male counterparts. “They drank and smoked cigarettes in public, drove automobiles and listened to Jazz.”<sup>1</sup><br><br>The change in lifestyle was made possible after more women went to work following World War I, thereby earning a disposable income. With their new lifestyle, appearances became more daring. The title “La Garçonne” (or the tomboy) was very fitting. Like Monique, these young women were typically boyish in their appearance: Short hairstyles, such as the “Eton Crop” and the “Marcel Wave”, were popular, and women’s hemlines also became shorter, as they freed themselves from the restrictive fashions of the previous decade.<br><br>According to feminist writer Catherine Gourley, <blockquote>after years of following social rules imposed on them, usually by men, women were finally making their own rules about what was acceptable and what was not.<sup>2</sup></blockquote>Margueritte’s novel appealed to real-life Garçonnes through Monique. Although she was fictional, her lifestyle was not far removed from reality. Margueritte was only holding up a mirror to society, and the uproar that ensued was somewhat unwarranted.<br>