Short trousers for all schoolboys

The last topic about the fingertip test and the extreme brevity of short trousers included comments on footwear with one account of a boy of 15 or 16 having to wear black childrens sandals with white ankle socks turned down over the ankle when attending a formal childrens party in short trousers. The boy must not only have looked childish but also somewhat of a sissy. I note that in the section on kilts that some boys also had to wear girls white ankle or white knee socks with girls strap shoes which must have been even more humiliating if the kilt looked more like a girls pleated skirt. Doubtless there are other similar accounts in the many postings on this poll.

My take is that a boy being made to wear short trousers in his mid to late teens is humiliating enough but being dressed in footwear more appropriate for a little girl must induce a feeling of absolute shame and inferiority

Thankfully I was never forced to wear short trousers and girlish footwear when growing up but I have witnessed occasions when older boys were dressed this way. The first was staying as a guest at a small weekend gathering in Hertfordshire in 2007 hosted by a lady who dressed her 16 year old son in a junior page boy style outfit consisting of dark blue wool shorts with a white blouse, white ankle socks, and black single strap patent leather girls shoes. The blouse had a large rounded collar with an extravagantly frilled border and long puffed sleeves with frilled cuffs. The following day he appeared in a white short trousered sailor suit with light blue borders and matching light blue girls strap shoes with girls white knee socks.

Throughout the weekend the boy was demure and obedient, only speaking when spoken to, and addressing his mother as Mummy. Aside from meals he had to sit on the floor with his legs crossed and was not allowed to use a chair. The two other children in the party was a 13 year old boy in long trousers and a 12 year old girl in tights both of whom looked a good deal more grown up than the unfortunate 16 year old.

I visited again a year later to see the boy dressed equally childishly in a burgundy brushed velvet pair of shortalls with matching burgundy T-strap sandals and turned down white ankle socks. A white blouse similar to the previous year completed the ensemble.

His mother was the most charming lady and seemed to dote on her son but who obviously could not bear to allow him to grow up.

Robert

Hi Robert,

I have seen photo's of similar treatment. One in particular, which I dated from the surroundings as between mid 80's to mid 90's was a boy sitting on his father's or grandfather's lap wearing a shirt, tie, very grey short shorts with white ankle socks and single strap black leather girls shoes.

The difference being, I'd estimate his age as between 6-9 years.

However, i certainly wore school shorts at school to 16 and also in the holidays when I stayed with my aunt and her daughter. I had some non school shorts and I remember particularly being bought some melton wool grey shorts for "smart casual" which had about a 2-3" leg when new (I was 5'8" at the time) and when they were washed, they shrank and were quite tight when first put on but "gave" as they were wool.

However, the give was laterally which meant they shrank vertically and after a year or so the inside leg had shrunk to a very embarrassing 1" inside leg.

Ironically, I quite liked them as they were very warm and around the house they were my favorites but being taken out in them was something I hated as they were by far the shortest shorts I had.

With regards to footwear, in the summer and dry weather I usually had to wear brown crepe sole T bar sandals. I think I did have one pair that was blue at one point and black leather or brown leather shoes for winter wear and "best"

Socks were near universally grey school type and on some occasions my actual school socks, short in the summer and knee length the rest of the year.

This form of dress continued in every school holiday until I was 17 in 1978 and was seen by my auntie as a matter of pride. As i wore shorts to school she didn't think it made any difference that I should wear them in the holidays.

My parents were living abroad for 4 years in the Bahamas and when I went to visit them in the summer I was sent on the plane in shorts, neatly dressed in shorts, shirt and tie and because it was so hot there it was the only time I was grateful to wear shorts.

I also had the ignominy at 16 being taken to a cousin's wedding and was bought white wool socks and felt a right sissy.

What I found most difficult was being smartly dressed at 16 and 17 in shorts bought for me when I was 14 and 15 when I was about 5'6" but had grown to 5'10" and were embarrassingly short and increasingly tight which had a tendency to show my maturing "development"

By this time it was impossible to pretend that i was a tall 12 or 13 year old and i hated going out, so, to some degree I can sympathise with that poor boy.

Hello Alan,

I think I may have seen the photo to which you refer but wearing the clothes you describe for a little boy of six to nine is much less humiliating than for a boy of 16 or 17.

Your wearing grey shorts at 16 when you were five feet eight inches tall must have been embarrassing and I imagine at that height you looked your age and even more so at 17 when you say you had reached five feet ten inches. Could you describe the white wool socks you had to wear at 16 for the wedding. I assume these were girls socks as you say you felt a sissy. Were these ankle or knee socks and were they worn with girls strap shoes or girlish sandals? Since you felt like a sissy you must have looked like one particularly being tall and in very short short trousers. Were you teased by the other children? How did you cope? Weddings can be highly traumatic for children of both sexes well into their mid to late teens who are deliberately dressed childishly by doting possessive parents who want them to look adorably sweet and elicit compliments from other adult guests. It is not so bad if the poor child looks much younger than their real age but painfully shamming if, like you, they are obviously far too old to be dressed in such blatant juvenile attire.

Edward, the boy I described in my previous post was not as tall as you but it was obvious he was far too old to be dressed in such childishly sissy outfits and this was emphasized by the more adult clothes worn by the two younger children. They were too well behaved and polite to tease him but, like me, were taken aback to see a big boy dressed and treated by his mother like a five year old. Perversely he did not seem in the least embarrassed which made me wonder if he rather liked his appearance. To be honest I was both fascinated and captivated.

Robert

Dear Robert and Alan

If an older boy is to be dressed in short trousers making him wear childish footwear should further increase the little boy look.

I wanted to remain a child and was most upset at having to go into long trousers at 13 but was happily able to spend weekends and school holidays with a favourite aunt who enjoyed dressing me in grey short trousers as part of a proper preparatory school uniform from age 15. This included a pair of brown T-strap sandals which definitely helped me look like a little boy. I loved those sandals and particularly enjoyed wearing them with white ankle socks as I looked so childish.

I was also fortunate enough to attend a few small parties for younger children in formal velvet short trousers with white knee socks and girlish strap shoes. I loved wearing short trousers but my effeminate footwear was most definitely an added bonus. I was small and looked much younger so I was able to fib about my age but some of the older children of 12 and 13 at these parties realised I was too old to be dressed like this and teased me for being a sissy. Of course I felt embarrassed and would blush like a young girl but secretly I was delighted to be made fun off.

Best wishes

Jamie

Hi Robert,

The boy in the photo was quite young and he probably wasn't aware of the significance of his clothes at his age, a teenager certainly would be aware.

I think you need to be aware that I was at a boarding school were all boys wore shorts upto the 6th form. I had been at the school since the age of 13 and therefore wearing shorts was quite the trial it might have been for others by that age. Up to about the age of 14 and puberty I don't think it bothered me much once I got over the initial shock of being made to wear them again on starting school at 13 and it didn't bother me much at school because we were "all in the same boat" and were totally used to it.

The problem was more as you were transitioning through adolescence and particularly in the school holidays. My aunt thought the school uniform was smart and was rather older than my mother, being the eldest of 8 she was in her 50's when I stayed with her and she had rather traditional views on children and how they should be dressed and behave.

I didn't wear school uniform during the holidays but I did have a short trouser suit which we had at school for Sundays to wear to chapel. I really don't know why as we attended chapel each morning in uniform so why we needed one for Sundays was always a bit of a mystery to me. However, my aunt insisted I brought it home during the holidays for "smart" wear.

When I was "casual" my aunt just took that as shorts and a shirt and probably didn't think much of it as I wore shorts 24/7/365 at school and it was very much her opinion that's what well brought up boys wore. That was always combined with knee socks and brown crepe sole sandals or ankle socks in the warmer months.

The socks for the wedding were a white wool blend, quite itchy as I remember and had a cable design down the sides. They were rather thick and warm and were probably chosen by the bride and/or my aunt who was the prime wedding organiser because it was early March and the weather had been bitterly cold.

I was acutely aware that white socks were what girls wore and I do remember objecting until my aunt “raised her eyebrows” and that was the end of that. As far as I know they weren't specifically girls socks.

I don't recall being teased by anyone at the wedding, there were three other boys dressed the same as me and there were 5 girls as Bridesmaid assistants who were wearing dresses that might not have been out of place on a 10 year old girl, so we were pretty much all in the same boat.

Alan