It must have been Richard (of RBB)'s latest post that confused me. See here:
His post, while being insubstantial did remind me of a couple of things.
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Nelson College is in the news with the school looking to limit the wearing of long socks and short skirts by girl students.
One teacher said something or made a disturbing joke about the socks being "creepy porn-video looking". The girl in question disputes that the socks are 'sexual' and is making a documentary about "the sexualisation of socks".
Man, this is weird on so many levels:
- What goes on in the mind of teachers
- Is watching porn videos part of the pedagogy requirements
- Do students make documentaries now when something happens at school
I must however put voice to the central issue.
The sexualisation of socks.
The Nelson schoolgirl disputes that long socks can be seen as sexually alluring.
The Nelson schoolteacher sees the long socks as being 'porn video-like.
To me the truth is somewhere between.
When I was in the 7th form at school, at a community dance in Karori I met Beth, a nice girl who was a 6th former. We got on well, danced and talked all evening and went back to her place.
'Going back to her place' in those days, especially when I was still at school wasn't the same as it is today. For one I was with good friend Tony who insisted in coming along. Second we were driven there by Beth's mum (who later drove Tony and me home). The after dance get together then was chaperoned.
I kept up with phone contact and Beth invited me to a dance a week or so later in Lower Hutt.
Tony of course insisted in coming along so on a Friday evening, after school we took the train out to the Hutt (by-passing Petone) and found the hall where the dance was. I (we) met up with Beth who introduced us (me) to Helen her friend from school who was also in the 6th form. Helen had long blonde hair, was gorgeous and ...... was wearing a very short tartan skirt and white socks that went up over her knees. Aaaargh!
I was captivated and Helen and I seemed to dance together all evening leaving Tony to dance and talk with Beth. This turned out to be a happy arrangement as Beth and Tony had similar interests - he was/is weird and she liked weirdness and Helen and I (and her short skirt and long socks) got on well together. For the second half of the 7th form Helen was my girlfriend. I spent a lot of time at her house (with her family dammit), going to events and friends parties and the sort of innocent, quasi-sexual things that catholic boys and girls did at that age in those times. Tony similarly 'went out;' with Beth who he referred to as his 'beth friend' (I told you he was weird).
The thing is though ........ those socks certainly were not a non-sexual item of clothing.
3 comments:
It seems a pretty dangerous area to me to start commenting on girls' socks at school, especially (obviously) if the teacher is male. The best advice for students that I have heard is, "Dress how you would if you were going to a job." Hey, remember that teenagers are always going to try to push the limits. You were very lucky that Tony came on your dates. What a true friend!
Yes, we all tried to help you out with Mary. What great friends we were.
Yes I remember well. Never did thank you and Tony and Noel properly.
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