Figure 1.--

After Lord Baden Powell adopted short trousers for wear by the Boy Scouts in the 1900s, shorts quickly became the standard dress of the English boy, for Scouts, school, dresswear, and for play. This standard persisted until well after World War II (1939-45). English boys began to changee their attitudes in the 1960s and by the end of the decade the Scouts and some schools changed their uniforms. While some schools persistd in requiring shorts, by the 1990s even Wolf Cubs and preparatory schools were mostly allowing boys to wear longs. The question arises, why did shorts become so popular in England and why did the attitdes of boys and parents begin to change in the 1960s.

Short Pants Adopted

After Lord Baden Powell adopted short trousers for wear by the Boy Scouts in the 1900s, shorts quickly became the standard dress of the English boy, for Scouts, school, dresswear, and for play. Different trends were at play in England explaining the adoption of short trousers and curiously some of these trends stood in stark oposition. The adoption by the Boy Scouts was part of the view that shorts were masculine attire for strenous outdoor actvities. This was in line with adotion of shorts by the British Army in tropical postings. They were considered a destinctly made garment. Girls did not wear them in the early 20th century. When shorts arrived on the scene, they were probably the rebellious fashion of the day; also they were a huge antidote to stuffy formalism. In an age when most people were short of money, they were cheaper and lasted much longer. Another important factor was the practicality of shorts--important in an age that clothes were expensive and laundry a huge part of a mother's workload. For schools both image as a garment suitable for strenous activities and thee practicality of the garment probably explain their widesprad adotiion. Another factor was many parents at the time felt that a boy should wear destinctively juvenile clothes. At the turn of the century, this meant shorter trousers than adults. Before the turn of the 20th century, this usually men knee[pants or knickers. After the turn of the century this increasingly mean short trousers. Thus shorts became identified as juvenile attire not only for strenous outdoor activities, but formal dresswear as well.

Widely Worn

English boys after short trousers were popularized in the 1900s by the Scouts increasingly began to wear them. By the 1910s they were comminly worn and after World War I (1914-18) became almost universal. They were worn by Scouts, at school, for play and for dress occasions. Not every English boy wore shorts, but the vast proportion did. One interesting observation. Often te boys most likely to obrain a long pants suit, were boys fro m aflluent families. Often boys from more modest families were the most likely to wear short trousers, commonly into their early and even mid-teens. (This contrasted with America, where the boys most likely to wear shorts were the boys from affluent families. English boys continued to commonly wear shorts until well after World War II (1939-45).

Changing Attitudes

English boys began to changee their attitudes in the 1960s. The trend could be observed by the klate 19590s, but was more noticeable in the 1960s. By the end of the decade the Scouts had adopted a new long pants uniform. Schools began changing their uniforms. Often grammar schools required the junior boys to wear short trousers. Many abolished this requirement. Most grammar schools were replaced with comprehensives and these schools did not require shorts, although the primary schools that adopted unifornms in the 1960s often did require shorts. Public schools generally followed this trend. While many prep schools continued to require shorts, even this bastion of traditiion generally allowed boys to wear longs by the 1980s. While a few schools persistd in requiring shorts, by the 1990s even Wolf Cubs and preparatory schools were mostly allowing boys to wear longs. Quite a range of factors explain the changing attitudes behind the declining popularity of short trousers in England.

Created: October 13, 2000
Last updated: October 13, 2000