I was just browsing around some of my regular haunts in the blogshere and reading MissB's comments on sexuality reminded me of something I was going to say earlier. In contrast to MissB's observations about boys wanting to be uber-masculine, there's a really odd trend in my school at the moment. It's now the done thing for boys to show that they are camp as a row of tents... provided they are the studs of the school in the first place. Wannabe-studs seem to have to flaunt their passion for pink as a rite of passage to show they are so over having to prove themselves to the girls. I've never seen such behaviour before, and I'm wondering how much influence metrosexuals such as David Beckham and Gavin Henson have had on this trend.
For example, when giving out coloured paper to Year 8s for some time-filling poster activity, the boys all want pink, and also want to shout this out so that everybody in the class knows that they haven't gone for manly maroon or boyish blue. In corridors between lessons, those boys who drip with cheap and chunky gold jewellery greet each other with mafia-style hugs and kisses, and all that's missing is the heavy coat being shrugged from their shoulders.
Now I'm all for breaking down gendered stereotypes, but this is all just a bit disconcerting. I just get the impression that there's more going on here than we're aware of. And I don't think it's as simplistic as passing wraps of drugs or salt (both equal menaces in our "healthy eating" school). Maybe I'm just missing something obvious - a TV programme they are imitating, for example. But whatever's going on, all I know is that we need to start stocking up on pink paper.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
heres the weird thing. I am a mother of one such testosterone filled youth - who recently went into town and was triumphant on his return to have bought some pink fingerless gloves with silver threads. he has his eye on my motorola slide up , that just happens to be pink , but is definitely ' one of the lads !'
happy teaching -nearly the holidays.
That's fascinating! I suppose it must have something to do with the new metrosexual fashion - my boyfriend's FHM had a feature on all the different men's grooming products this month. It just goes to show that anything can be fashionable, even camp culture, if enough popular people embrace it.
Just prior to the summer holdays, our school allowed all of the students to dress in their own clothes if they contributed a quid to charity. One boy, who is a bit of a wild one to say the least, turned up in a skirt and blouse, with high heels and make-up! I cannot imagine anyone ever doing that when I was at school.
Post a Comment