Girls' Youth Group Uniforms: Organizations


Figure 1.--Figure 1.--Here we have an English Brownie. The photograph is undated, but we would guess in the late 1970s. The Brownies were the junior unit of the Girl Guides. It was comparable to the Cub Scouts but for girls.

Following the creation of the Boys' Brigade and Boy Scouts, several uniformed youth organizations were founded for girls. The first was the Girl Guides in England. The junior division of the Guides were the Brownies. The Brownie uniforms was a brown all in one skirt and top with a yellow thin belt and white lacy knee socks and black strap shoes. The English Guides were closely associated with the Scouts. The same was true with several other groups. The Girls' Brigade and the girls' Hitler Youth divsion which were organized along with boys' groups, but the programs were kept separated. The situation wa different in America where the American Girl Scouts emerged as an entirely separate rogram. Some rganizations like the Camp Fire Girls also appeared. The Fascist groups appearing in the 1920s and 30s like the Italian Balilla and German Hitler Youth had separate divisions for girls. The same was true of the right-wing nationalist groups the NAZIs promoted in the occupied countries during World War II.

Balilla

The Fascist groups appearing in the 1920s and 30s like the Italian Balilla and German Hitler Youth had separate divisions for girls. As far as we know the boys' and girls' programs were entirely separate.

Camp Fire Girls

Some organizations like the Camp Fire Girls also appeared. Camp Fire ws initially a girls' program, but in the 1970s began accepting boys into the program.

Girls' Brigade

We do not know much about the Girls' Brigade. We believe that groups were organized by the same churches that sponsored Boys' Brigade units.

Girl Guides

Following the creation of the Bpys' Brigade and Boy Scouts, several uniformed youth organizations were founded for girls. The first was the Girl Guides in England. The junior division of the Guides were the Brownies. The Brownie uniforms was a brown all in one skirt and top with a yellow thin belt and white knee socks and black strap shoes (figure 1). A reader writes, "I recall my Brownie uniform. It had a a brown short skirt and white lacy knee socks. We were like Cub Scouts but for us girls. My friends and I use to go and being the 70s when short skirts were stylish, we pulled the skirt through the belt thus making the skirt very short, not uncommon for girls doing that today. The Guides had a completely different uniform with a blue shirt. The English Guides were closely associated with the Scouts. The same was true with several other groups. Guide organizations were founded all over the world. In Americ the girls decided to call themselves scouts like the boys even the prganization was completely different.

Girl Scouts

The situation was different in America where the American Girl Scouts emerged as an entirely separate rogram. Unlike British Scouts and Guides there was no close association between American Boy an Girl Scouts. The Boy Scouts in the 1970s were apparently interested in merging the two groups, but the Girl Scouts were adamently oppsed to any kind of merger.

Hitler Youth

The Girls' Brigade and the girls' Hitler Youth divsion which were organized along with boys' groups, but the programs were kept separated. The girls' unit was the BDM. They wore white blouses and black skirts As far as we know the boys' and girls' programs were entirely separate.

Nationalist Groups

The same was true of the right-wing nationalist groups the NAZIs promoted in the occupied countries during World War II.









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Created: 8:13 PM 7/30/2004
Last updated: 6:41 PM 8/14/2004