Many a girl feels, when she first enters high school, that she is a
child no longer. She has suddenly become a woman, and she must
demonstrate this fact to the world immediately by her clothes.
Gingham dresses, middies, and low-heel shoes are scorned as belonging to
the days that are gone. Hair once lovely for its natural beauty and
simplicity takes on fearful and wonderful lines. French heels only are
to be considered and a georgette blouse with elaborate camisole or a
silk dress is an absolute necessity. With these acquisitions our young
lady is ready for her new undertaking.
Could she possibly make a greater mistake? The school room is not a
style show, nor a social function, but it is a busy workshop where
material is to be assembled from which to build a life.
In a truly good high school, of all places, a student must do or die,
and there is no time here to be wasted on thoughts of frills and
furbelows. School room walls and blackboards do not make consistent
backgrounds for party clothes.
In the past the high school girl who was considered well-dressed by her
associates was the one who was elaborately dressed. Now, since the girls
of our country are interested in all the big world issues of the day and
have taken efficiency as their watchword the girl who is a leader is the
girl who can _do_, not the girl who can _dress_.
One of the surest tests of good judgment and refinement in a girl is her
selection of clothes.
The overdressed girl does not belong to the wealthiest and most cultured
families as a rule. She is often striving to attain a social goal not
yet realized and the school room and the street offer her only
opportunities to show her fine feathers.