School Uniforms Were A Jolly Good Thing.

A way to look beyond the obvious.

At the time most of us grumbled like mad about our plight. School uniforms each and every school day in our formative years made us try little alterations just to look a bit more cool!

Before the onset of Oh, let's show our butt cheek to all & sundry, the cool dudes at school tended to try a version of it and many a low riding grey school trouser were sported. Not for long as the eagle eyed prefects or even more savvy teachers soon made short thrift of it with a bout of detention and a hitch of said pants.

The girls were also trying to stand out in a sea of similarity. White ankle socks turned over twice to do what no self respecting Edwardian gal would ever do...show off a pretty ankle. The length of skirts should have been standard but the It Girls usually tried to make them shorter. Again, the teachers were wide awake and during uniform inspection make us kneel on the lawn and gosh, if your skirt didn't touch the ground you were in trouble and of course detention.

Haircuts were no different with their also being a strict code. Short back and sides for the boys, and hair bare of artifice tied up in ponytails etc for the girls. From stories told at family campfires and usually after a few drinks when the important stuff comes to the fore, it appears that the Bobster's brother had a few undiscovered days of sporting an undercut at school and the Bobster tried to grow his hair into a Robert Smith look.

Looking back upon this era we experienced, makes more sense now. It did teach us not to judge people by their attire. Of course after school we've all been drawn into this superficial way of gauging character, to our detriment too. But on the whole, those of us who've worn a uniform at school still subconsciously understand that clothes don't make the man.

With everyone wearing the same uniform at school, it gave us an opportunity to develop our social skills ( that important E.Q. that trumps I.Q. ) without being prejudged by our exterior.

As both the Bobster and I firstly went to the same scholastic establishment with a few shared teachers, and secondly had our wardrobes filled with the distinct blue colours of Carter High School, we tend to be less focused on clothes. To be honest, both us us tend to equate shopping for clothes more with a chore than a treat.

Biggi