Thank you for a unique and reminiscent website! The information in
HBC is accurate. The memories shared by others were familiar.
In my case my brother, 5 years older than me, teased me relentlessly when I was
about 7 years old. As the hot days of summer approached, our mother insisted
on white T shirts for us, but long jeans for him, khaki camp shorts for
me. I felt like this was a badge of young childhood. In no time, though,
I adjusted to them. And brother went off to stay with our grandparents.
This was in 1959, and shorts for even adolescent boys were becoming more
common.
Shorts seemed dressier than blue jeans, and, not wanting
to seem "sissy", I preferred jeans, or long pants. I remember each
spring and early summer newspaper ads featured the summer fashions which
included, of course, dressy walking shorts. I dreaded it, knowing Mother
would want to buy several pairs for me. But I guess Mother recognized my
feelings, and she never brought it up again. At least not persistently,
only remarking that others boys, my age or older, were in shorts. And
you know, when I was 7 and became used to my shorts, while I'd never
admit it, I found them really comfortable for hot weather secretly
envied the boys who wore shorts and didn't care what anyone thought
about it!
Related Chronolgy Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
[The 1880s]
[The 1930s]
[The 1940s]
[The 1930s]
[The 1940s]
[The 1950s]
[The 1960s]
[The 1970s]
[The 1980s]