Puberty Sucks! All is heightened and all is crucial. Those seen whispering and looking your way are talking about you. Friends who pass without speaking hate you. The correct costume is essential to fitting in and thus daily emotional survival. You claim you are just being yourself and yet dress to fit one silly stereotype or another. Get a grip.
I know you won’t, because I didn’t, and few I knew did either, it is rare that any teen is devoid of the social pressures of puberty. Our bodies are changing, our emotions are changing, our concepts are changing — man, our whole world is changing and we were just trying to keep our heads above water. We want to be accepted. We really just want to be loved and loved beyond our family circle. We gravitate toward whoever shows and interest or receptivity whether good or bad. What we felt about ourselves often determines the group we seek. We walk a slack wire with limited stability.
When someone stares guys check their zippers, girls pat their hair. We are extremely self-conscious of our looks and behavior. Those who give that little thought fit into another category. Poverty if rarely considered. The whole world revolves around us and we are crushed by the silliest things, but we will not know how silly they are until years later. It is amazing that any kids get through unscathed.
Clothes and hair were becoming a big deal to me as I moved toward high school. The standard policy at my house was two pair of shoes, one for dress the other for school and play, two pair of jeans for both school and play, one pair of slacks for church, five shirts, one winter coat and one spring coat. I don’t remember hats, but I had one on at a photo-op with Santa. The standard family fare wasn’t cutting it for me as I thought about high school. I wanted more and I could not understand why I couldn’t have it.
Whoops! Couldn't find Santa, but here are two other hat shots.
Dad had a great job. He worked for the railroad and was a member of the union in the day when unions ruled. He was well paid. That’s why the home we lived in ticked me off, I thought we could do better and the lack of the right clothes made me mad. Both mom and I moved to solve the problem. I spent the summer collecting scrape metal and mom got a job babysitting. While the job was ostensibly to help me get a larger wardrobe, it met her need to have more young children around. She hired on for two neighborhood boys whose mother worked full time.
I had won the clothing battle at eight-grade graduation with the gift of a sports coat and a knit tie. I can’t believe they caved in and let me have a nearly bright orange (maybe rust) jacket with a classy black tie. I was the cats meow (pardon, wrong time period). What a stupid jacket. I rarely ever wore the thing. It wasn’t the only silly outfit I had before high school graduation. I owned a white sports coat, black cummerbund, bow tie and black pants with a pink strip and, for special dances, a pink carnation.
Only the hoodlums wore jeans and white t- shirts with cigarettes rolled into the sleeve to make a statement. It didn’t matter if you actually smoked. That was cool (right time period). It was the uniform. That modeled Marlon Brando or imitated James Dean. They sneered, crooked their mouths and wore their leather jackets in the heat.
Girls mostly wore ponytails or a bob and the tougher they were the greater the make-up. Penny loafers, saddle shoes bobby socks and a sweater over their shoulders was standard attire.
Identifying costumes were subtle in the 50’s. There weren’t so many obvious distinctions as today. Bad kids smoked, good one didn’t. Richie Cunningham and the Fonzie were friends on Happy Days. That would never have happened in my “Happy Days.” They were at opposite ends of the social Richter scale and never the twain would meet — well rarely, anyway.
Mom managed to increase my clothing allowance and helped me feel like I belonged. You see, it isn’t just girls who need to look good. I know some guys didn’t care. I just didn’t happen to be one of them. My hair followed all the latest hairstyle dictates: crew cut, flat top, ducktails with curls, ducktails with flattop, and a college cut Maybe there were others. I just wanted to fit in. When pimples came my face was a total mess. That’s another story. I know I did make one mistake and I still get teased about it. My only relieve is that I live a long way from most of my high school friends. I always wore white socks and still get teased about it. Well, I only had one pair — just joking.
It’s time to start high school. I was scared spit-less (is that even possible?).
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