Girls' Youth Group Uniforms


Figure 1.--British Cub Scouts in the 1990s began accepting girls for the first time. The girls wear the same tradional uniform as the boys, except for skirts rather than trousers.

Following the creation of the Bpys' Brigade and Boy Scouts, several uniformed youth organizations were founded for girls. The first was the Girl Guides in England. Some organizations eventually mixed genders. The first here may have been the German Wandervogel. For the most part this did not become a popular approach until after World War II. There are now many mixed groups all over the world. We here at HBU have hoped that someone might create a site on girls' youth group uniforms and that we could coordinate our research efforts. We have found so much material that we can not even handle well the topics we have already addressed. We continued to be interested in finding a partner and would be pleased to assist someone that would be interested in creatung a site on historical girls' uniforms. A HBU reader has done some work on gurl's uniforms.

Girls Uniformed Groups

Following the creation of the Bpys' Brigade and Boy Scouts, several uniformed youth organizations were founded for girls. The first was the Girl Guides in England. The junior division of the Guides were the Brownies. The Brownie uniforms was a brown all in one skirt and top with a yellow thin belt and white lacy knee socks and black strap shoes. The English Guides were closely associated with the Scouts. The same was true with several other groups. The Girls' Brigade and the girls' Hitler Youth divsion which were organized along with boys' groups, but the programs were kept separated. The situation wa different in America where the American Girl Scouts emerged as an entirely separate rogram. Some organizations like the Camp Fire Girls also appeared. The Fascist groups appearing in the 1920s and 30s like the Italian Balilla and German Hitler Youth had separate divisions for girls. The same was true of the right-wing nationalist groups the NAZIs promoted in the occupied countries during World War II.

Mixed-Gender Groups

Some organizations eventually mixed genders. The first here may have been the German Wandervogel. For the most part this did not become a popular approach until after World War II. There are now many mixed groups all over the world. This is especially true of Scouting where the approach is highly diverse. World Scoting has no regulation here, it is left up to the national association. American Scours are single gender, because the Girl Scouts refused to mix. British Cubs in the 1990s decided to accept girls (figure 1). The most important mixed gender group was the Young Pioneers.

Interest in Coordinating Efforts

We here at HBU have hoped that someone might create a site on girls' youth group uniforms and that we could coordinate our research efforts. We have found so much material that we can not even handle well the topics we have already addressed. We continued to be interested in finding a partner and would be pleased to assist someone that would be interested in creatung a site on historical girls' uniforms.

Girls Uniform Site

A HBC reader tells us, "I greatly enjoyed visiting your site several times of late, reading all that I could about the use and impact of uniforms in youth programs. I am writing because I have been researching girls uniforms. I own and (frequently) update the Vintage Girl Scout Pin Museum, an online resource of historical pins, badges, insignias, uniforms and more. It now covers 5 websites and continues to grow. However, my interest has grown to include other girl programs and their uniforms, insignias, etc - such as the Sunbeams, Girl Guards, 4-H (co-ed), American Heritage Girls. I would like to develop a website devoted to such an idea. I have scoured internet websites, program handbooks and history references." -- Nancy White, Rosary-Maker








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Created: November 8, 2003
Last updated: 8:06 PM 7/30/2004