Figure 1.--This unidentified family snapshot shows an American boy and his mother at home in 1983. The boy wears a T-shoirt with text (hockey) and blue OP cord shorts. |
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Short pants became standard wear for American boys in the 1980s. Boys no longer wore short pants suits to any extent. Dressy shorts were no longer common although we see some exceptions like wedding outfits for younger boys or First Communion suits. What we do see is a wide range of casual shorts. There were many different styles such as camp shorts or OP cord shorts. And a wide range of athletic shorts in various styles and bright colors. A factor here was the increasing popularity of basketball and soccer, two sports with short pants uniforms. The style was short cut Boys wore tube socks with colored bands, a item that became popular for wear with casul shorts. shorts, shorter than the Bermuda shorts that were popular in the 1960s and 70s. The Boy Scouts changed their uniform and the new shorts, camp shorts with cargo pockets. Cubs had blue shorts abd Scouts brown shorts. Boys began wearing shorts to school again. This was virtually unknown in the late-1950s through the 70s. Shorts began to appear first in California and the South. Gradually we begin to see shorts being worn in primary schools. The shorts worn to school did not differ much from play short except that the school shorts tend to be purchased new and the play shorts were the older shorts. Some public schools by the 1980s had begun to adopt uniforms. the long and short pants worn with the uniforms were amore deressy. And then we begin to see shorts in secondary schools, first in California. by the 1990s in secondary schools. A 1983 California block party gives some idea of the casual short pants American boys were wearing in the 1980s. A home snapshot again in 1983 shows a boy at home wearing blue OP cord shorts. By this time girls were also wearing shorts and pants, altough skirts were also common. Dresses began to decline in popularity.
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