JHS Classes of 1971-1972-1973 Thirderly On-Line Newsletter • Fall 2008 Page 1

First It Was Culottes! Then Pants! Then Hot Pants! Then Clogs and Platforms!

Who Could Have Foreseen It Would Lead to This?!?

The JHS Administration, That’s Who!

ears before the women’s march down Man- hattan’s Fifth Avenue on August 26, 1970, Y which more or less kicked off the women’s liberation movement, at least symbolically, girls at Jericho High and Junior High were standing up for their fashion rights. For a time, it seemed like if you were a young Women faculty were subject to the same rules. women, your sartorial choices were limited pretty Social-studies teacher Ms. Maureen Tracy remem- much to skirts or a burka, as school administrators bers administrators reprimanding her for wearing a prohibited culottes, pants, clogs, and short skirts. pantsuit, which they deemed “unprofessional.” Even long skirts could earn The female dress code became something of a you a trip to the principal’s political flashpoint, not on the scale of the Vietnam office, as Amy Lubow Downs War, of course, but a source of outrage nonethe- (’72) found out at George A. less. During junior high, girls from the class of ’72 Jackson Elementary School. defiantly wore culottes to school, only to be told to “I was told that my skirt go home and put on something presentable. Name- was a distraction,” she re- ly a skirt. calls, “and asked to go As Debra Schwartz from the class of 1971 home and change.” Amy Continued on page 2

JHS Classes of 1971-1972-1973 Thirderly On-Line Newsletter • Fall 2008 Page 2

Jericho Girls Gone “You know how teenage Wild! boys, with their raging hormones, can get at the sight of a well- Continued from page 1 turned ankle! It’s [splutter] remembers it, “I thought a disgrace! An outrage!” we were always allowed to wear culottes. It was pants that were the big Avert your eyes, avert deal. There was a girl in your eyes! Don’t look! Dear the class ahead of me—I God, help me be strong … think her name was

Shelly—who led the pants thing. I remember some kind of meeting in the Little Theater about this. I The ban on women’s ing that was for boys guess I must have at- pants seems bizarre in and girls alike. tended, but I don't re- retrospect. Since a major “I remember that member doing much.” object was apparently to well into the spring of not wave a red flag in 1968, the junior high front of the adolescent school banned culottes male population, would- [how revolutionary: a n’t pants be preferable to cross between a skirt skirts? Debra finds it and shorts!], and there equally odd that the was an assembly about school administration that. A ninth-grade girl (I

fixated on the outfits girls Carol was in eighth) stood up wore, yet both sexes and said to Mr. Rathje, were allowed to smoke Carol Rosenblum Levin the principal, that it was in the newly established (’73): “I totally remember unfair to ban culottes senior lounge. assemblies in 1967–68 after we’d bought our Debra “I look back at that about the girls’ dress spring wardrobes. I can’t totally mystified,” she code. If at any time dur- remember her name, says. “How could the ad- ing the day the length of but she had blonde hair “In high school, ministration have caved our skirts or dresses and was self- assured when we were finally on that one? And why were questioned and enough to speak before allowed to wear jeans, weren’t the parents up in considered to be too the entire school. I wore a pair to class. arms?” short, we had to drop to “The ban on culottes A male teacher said to By the 1969–70 our knees. If the hem of was lifted after that as- me, ‘Hi, Sam.’” school year or so (it’s not our dress didn’t touch sembly—a credit to those — Amy Lubow like somebody kept rec- the floor, we were sent in charge, because they ords about this stuff), home. really did listen to rea-

jeans became common- “The reason we were- son. It’s hard to imagine place, and the fuss about n’t allowed to wear jeans that culottes were ever student dress subsided, to school, they said, was an issue when you look on both ends. Here are because ‘It’s impossible at the way people dress the recollection of some to learn wearing blue today! of the participants. jeans’ (?), but I’m guess- Continued on page 3

JHS Classes of 1971-1972-1973 Thirderly On-Line Newsletter • Fall 2008 Page 3 Jericho Girls Gone Tali-banned Fashions! Wild! “In junior high, (At Least for a While) I recall about twelve Continued from page 2 of us staging a sit-in out- side the principal’s office, “I was also thrown Hot Pants! demanding the right to out of driver’s-ed class wear pants.” —Lynne for wearing clogs to (Margo) Rosenbaum, class—unsafe for driv- (‘74) ing!”

Benita Zahn Stulmaker

(’72): “It was 1971, the last day of my junior year. I’d been to the beach the Miniskirt! day before with a group of friends and gotten a The very bad sunburn. It was all I could do to put on Braless any clothing. Look

(Left) “I just crushed to death a wolverine without even realizing it in my fashionable new pair of platform heels!”

Benita The Braless Look! “So, with sunburned feet, I slipped on a pair of thong sandals. Well, you know, sandals were ver- boten, and sure enough, I was hauled into the prin- cipal's office for that of- fense —never got to the last-day assembly. It was both ridiculous and very funny. “There was another act of civil disobedience. From the cover to Carly Simon’s No Secrets, the best LP jacket ever (at The girls wanted to wear least, from an adolescent-male perspective). Honorable mention: Herb Continued on page 4 Alpert and the Tijuana Brass’s Whipped Cream & Other Delights.

JHS Classes of 1971-1972-1973 Thirderly On-Line Newsletter • Fall 2008 Page 4

Jericho Girls Gone (Right) In a thoughtful letter to Newsday, four- Wild! teen-year-old Beth Fisch- Continued from page 3 er (class of ’73) tries to make sense of it all. The culottes. Science teacher year: 1969. Mr. Herb Kramer was sympathetic and suggest- ed that we all don cu- lottes and lie down in front of the school bus- ses in protest. Knowing Mr. Kramer, he was prob- ably only half-kidding. “Needless to say, the protest in that form never “Ironically, I’m occa- “I’m even open to the happened. Nowadays I Beth sionally appalled by the idea of uniforms—this, think the administrators revealing clothing worn from the person voted would welcome culottes Wendy Foxmyn (’72): “In by girls today and the 1972 Class Individualist, compared to what is seventh or eighth grade, I general sloppiness and along with Billy Hartley!— worn!” was brought before the casual dress of students so that students don’t authorities (the vice prin- today. I’m in favor of have to be so focused on Janet Penn Finklestein cipal?) for wearing a skirt school dress codes, as buying expensive clothes, (‘72): “About those cu- considered ‘too short.’ long as they’re fair and shoes, accessories, and lottes—I remember a pair “I remember the skirt developed with input so on. I like the distinc- that were blue and white well. It was baby blue from the students and tion between school plaid. I don’t recall ever and, well, short. But noth- the community-at-large, clothes and ‘play being sent home for ing compared to the hot- nonsexist, etc. clothes.’” ■ wearing them, but I do pants that many others (not me!) wore just a few remember one day in Lessons from Bra Burn- years later. I was embar- seventh grade having to ing 101: “Always rassed by the experience get on my knees and remember to remove and thought that the pulling my skirt down so garment before setting male administrators were that it touched the floor, on fire.” Solid advice ‘dirty old men’ for being so I wouldn't have to go then; solid advice now! obsessed with these mat- home and change. Hard to ters. believe …”

Above, the offending garment. Look only Janet Wendy if you dare!