I find it difficult to remember what other boys said about me wearing
shorts. I found it such a humiliating experience that I think the
'situation' took precedence over what was actually being said. I can tell
you that it was really irritating.
The teasing was bad enough tha first term. But it seenmed to get
worse as time went on. This was especially true as we got older and
stood out more. The younger boys in particular seemed to enjoy teasing
us.
I can remember a lot of different taunts. "Oh my, what nice legs."
"Who wears short shorts" (Usually sung, as it was the name of a popular song
around the time.) "Can't you afford long ones."
Even to this day I can recall memories of the taunts of younger boys
about our short pants. You
may recall I said the rule for shorts applied only to the M forms, with
other forms having the option for longs. In effect this meant when I was
in my second/third years, new boys starting senior school in these other
forms could be in long trousers. Most of my form suffered younger,
smaller boys, jeering us in our short pants. It was quite humiliating
to be made to look so juvenile along side boys more junior than us. It
once even got me into a school fight!
One of my worst memories was some older boys catching me in the street
and
making me pull my shorts up to the top of my thighs, so they could see more
of my legs! Their threat was "you pull them up, or we pull them down." I
pulled them up, then made to hop from one foot to another, dancing. I am
not
sure what the object was, just to make you feel plain silly I think, but I
remember this incident very well and it bothered me a great deal at the
time. I was, in my attitudes, almost certainly older than my years and
perhaps a little arrogant, which only served to make matters worse.
I cannot recall girls making any real comments about the shorts us
M-form boys had to wear. Perhaps, they thought of us as just little boys,
beneath their consideration. Except, John Dodds, of course who was
very popular with them.
Teasing was usually confined to certain individuals and, in
my case one particular boy. His name was Stephen. I can still visualise
him very well. This boy started the school as a second
year, an A form boy, and a total stranger to me, not being from our town,
but, he formed an alliance with two of my former junior school friends. You
may recall I said these friends slowly drifted away when we entered into
different forms.
Stephen was a year or so younger than me, a fair bit
smaller, with deep red/ginger hair. Being in the A form he wore optional
longs from day one, so I never saw this boy in shorts, but he seemed to
take a delight in teasing boys who had to wear them, and me in particular.
I don't know if this was because I was a tall boy and rather comical in
shorts pants, or jealously, me being in a higher form, or perhaps just the
fact he could guarantee a reaction from me.
He was always careful to be in
the company of others, who he encouraged to follow his lead and I can
remember feeling particularly resentful about former friends teasing me in
this way. Anyway, one particular day he started to follow me home as we
left school and was throwing small stones at my bare legs. I was not
particularly a 'fighter' at school but I just saw red and gave him a good,
hard push that sent him down to the ground. As I stood over him, feeling
pretty good at finally confronting him, a small group gathered round to
witness our combat. He jumped up and hit me full in the face with his
fist!! Fighting in my book consisted of pushing and shoving, even a bit
wrestle, but a full blow punch was totally unexpected. It's a long time ago,
but I can remember he caught me square on the nose and made it bleed, and it
hurt like hell. A full blow fight ensued, with a good crowd now, baying for
blood. Younger and smaller he may have been, but he fought like a demented
terrier and sadly (well in my view) he gave me a sound beating. In the end
he sent me off home sobbing and totally humiliated.
Most of the support, if I remember correctly, was for Stephen. Perhaps,
not unnaturally, as he was smaller and younger so a bit of an underdog.
(Someone should have told him that) I think nearly everyone likes to see
the big guy meet his Waterloo. I did have some support, mainly from other
guys in shorts from my own class I think, who offered comfort after the
event, like asking me if I was alright. All I wanted was to get anyway from
everyone and back home. With regards to comments about actual shorts during
the fight I cannot remember; surviving with some sort of dignity was more on
my mind. I don't think there is any doubt I had a pretty bad beating that
day(perhaps we I remember it so well) so sideline comments were probably
lost on me. Interestingly , think back to this episode, I do not think I
disliked Stephen after this, as I said he made no further problems for me,
and I had a healthy respect for him.
As I said above, I did have support from my mates, verbally anyway. It
evolved, that most of my school friends were boys in my own form, hence in
the same position as me, all shorts wearers. Previous friends, who went into
other forms and long trousers, drifted away. Natural selection I suppose.
All the boys in my form suffered some teasing and only John Dodds seemed
oblivious to it all. Of course, this could have just been the way he dealt
with the situation.
If I remember correctly
I tried hard to stay off school the next day, very embarrassed at being
licked by a boy junior to me, but I had to go. That was my first and last
major school fight. To be honest I cannot recall this boy ever bothering me
again and nobody else seemed to make much of it. But it was a salutary
lesson for me; the bigger you think you are, the harder the fall !!
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