Up until the beginning of the twentieth century, women were property, wives, cooks, and mothers. At the beginning of the twentieth century, womankind began to experience profound changes; in 1916, Jeannette Pickering Ranking became the first female member of Congress, twice elected (first in 1916, then again in 1941); when she was first elected, she said, "I may be the first woman member of Congress, but I won't be the last" (United States House of Representatives, 1916). On August 18, 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment was passed, allowing women the right to vote. Also in the 1920s, women first experienced the final liberation from corsets and long bulky skirts (which began with the Gibson Girl), graduating to shorter, less restrictive clothing (loosely termed flapper dresses).