An American historian has provided HBC an American cultural perspective. Modern American and European boys commonly look on short pants as popukar casual fashion. For earlier generations, short-length pants (kneepants, knickers, and short pants) were seen as boys wear. This convention began in the 1860s when increasing numbers of boys began wearing kneepants. Soon a rite of passage involved when a boy acquired his first pair of long trousers. Many HBC readers have commented on this is the individual boy section of several country pages. An American historian has provided HBC an American cultural perspective.

Canada

A Canadian reader writes, "Short pants and long stockings were the expression of the special status of children as a distinct class from adults. It is so true that the poorer children were more likely to wear long pants like adults. These poor children thus had a kind of low status but long pants became a kind of rite of passage in the upper classes. From many comments, it is clear that the first long pants was a victory over childhood and overprotection. It was like if grown-up said to parents: "We thank you for having cared us so much but enough is enough and now we are ready to be like you" It is interesting to note that short pants and long stockings disappeared when more low status children came to school. After World War II. Short pants and long stockings were no longer a kind of separated status for young boys. Because girls were longer overprotected, they wore long stockings for a longer time. But in the 1970s came the idea of unisex fashion. This came mainly from the idea of democratisation from United States. Also from the idea that men and women are equal."