Here we go again, women and girls being responsible for how men and boys behave.
that's a good way to put it, it's victim blaming in a way
It's quite literally victim blaming. Blaming girls for boys and even adult men from being unable to stop themselves from sexually assaulting them.
Maybe if we didn't divide people by sex and assign gender norms from birth we would learn how to interact before puberty without sexual objectification. It would make navigating teenage years a lot easier if we started than with a gender/sex diverse social group opposed to the current default being through the lens of objectification.
we would learn how to interact before puberty without sexual objectification.
Most kids do if you leave them alone. It's the adults that have them problems with it. I had zero interest in sex until at least 15 at the earliest. Adults are the problem, as per usual.
That's interesting, I remember thinking teachers classmates moms were hot when I was in kindergarten and 1st grade. I didn't really know what to do with that feeling but it was definitely there.
But that's logical! /j
Boys also aren't allowed to wear bikinis, and their swimsuits are (usually) shorts already.
No white Tees is BS though.
However, without context, I would hazard a guess that the summer camp has a religious affiliation (most do). My YMCA affiliated summer camp required that all campers attend chapel on Sunday. I "learned" the "hard way" that not participating at chapel was "punished" by being sent to the cafeteria to play games and eat extra breakfast with the non-christian staffers.
American prudishness is weird as fuck.
I remember my time as a boy... Back then the rules for us were "whatever dumb shit you're thinking of doing, fucking don't!".
Ever get chased through the fields with the nice, big, beautiful stick you brought back earlier that day?
Ever had heavy stuff thrown at you for doing some really dumb shit?
Ever left the home with a deep, resentful glare burning through the back of your skull?
It's difficult to lay down rules for boys because in general, we're dumb as shit doing dumb shit all the time. So there's almost always one, unspoken rule for boys: "Just fucking don't!"
The problem though is that girls are held upon to a higher standard. There are expectations of a higher level of civility and understanding, though undue in my opinion. Some of y'all were as dumb as the rest of us and were treated unfairly due to those higher standards.
But let's face it, as parents or adults, we all probably tend to have a similar kind of bias towards our own kids. Some of them are dumb as shit and while we worry about them, every time they plan to do something stupid, the inner voice we won't admit to is saying "please, oh please, just fucking don't!". Meanwhile, the kids we worry about less as they know their shit, they have clear, but few specific rules because we believe that's what they need.
So, in my humble opinion as a formerly dumb boy/kid, the lack of written rules more likely means there are too many, unpredictable rules that have to be managed proactively.
Btw, unrelated question, has anyone managed to get squirrels drunk in those camps of yours? I know it was on a to-do list at one point...
It's very easy to lay down rules for boys. Don't ogle, grope, or otherwise assault someone just because they're wearing a two - piece swimsuit. Let people wear what they want, even if it's a white shirt. Don't let the outer appearance of anyone be the guide to make up a fantasy in your head and decide what kind of person they are.
See? That wasn't very hard.
I think not all hope is lost, but you're missing the point here, with a bit of the ol' "boys will be boys" attitude mixed in. First of all, it doesn't help to treat boys (or any teenager for that matter) as some form of intermittent lifeform on its way to achieve full sentience. They're not animals, and most of them haven't been dropped off in the jungle and were raised by wolves. They can, and have to, learn what is acceptable behavior, as well as empathy for those that surround them.
Dismissing any form of accountability and consistently shifting the blame to a 14 year old girl wearing a white shirt at a lake function enforces stereotypes and societal preconceptions that I can only call disgusting.
The rules aren’t because boys will “ogle” the girls, it’s because some religious fuckhead has inserted their views onto society.
Those in power want to enforce abrahamic religious norms. It about control, they don’t care about protecting children.
What are you talking about, boys will absolutely ogle girls, and sometimes other boys. They're teenagers! The thing is, it doesn't matter how prudish you try to be, they'll still do it. If they can see some ankle they'll fap to it later. The best outcome is if they're ogling someone too much and making that person uncomfortable, take them aside and privately tell them to knock that shit off. You don't need a bloody no looking rule that makes them feel sinful just for having a peek at someone clothed. You also wouldn't need a no touching rule if you just fluffing taught them consent at 10yo, around when you should be starting sex ed as well anyway.
I feel like we can teach consent in preschool; it applies to way more than sexual interaction, and would hopefully help kids identify when they're being abused.
None of that is "rules for boys" though. They apply to all kids. If a girl is acting rambunctious, she'll get told to stop too. Often for behavior the boys don't even get called out for because, as you said yourself, girls are held to a higher standard of civility.
I remember being kids and an adult ruined our fun game of throwing spears at each other.
i'd react the same way cuz i hate unequal gender division.
if they tell her she has to wear something different they should also tell boys to wear something different.
i hope it bothers her also when rules are unequal against males too. If so, good daughter. Smite those gender divisions.
these are the boys' rules.
No rules about femboys though? I see a loophole here.
Maybe don't refer to femboys when talking about 12 year olds?
Being a femboy isn't inherently sexual.
Americans when they learn that cross-dressing isn't considered adult only in other places. Sure you have RuPaul's drag race which is very sexualised, but that isn't the only type of cross-dressing that exists.
Also the rules listed are actually sexualising girls. I would rather mock the rules instead. The femboys are not the problem here.
Well fuck, when you're right you're right.
Just kind of a gut reaction, as that's how the world treats them, but that's not really fair.
Genuinely wonder how they'd react to a boy showing up in a two-piece like some kind of gacha femboy.
I don't think Linux devs go to summer camps...
The funny things about the boys rules is that they mostly boil down to "don't let us catch you looking too much like a girl" but also "don't let us catch you looking too much like an adult man, either"
No long hair. But also no facial hair.
No piercings. No visible tattoos. Nothing that might look like a weapon (including combs, heavy shoes, and tshirts with pictures of guns on them).
No eyeliner or hairspray or jewelry. Nothing too punk but also nothing too fruity. Absolutely nothing that might be scary looking. Or drug affiliated. Or queer.
Heaven fucking help you if you look queer. Summer camps hate that.
The only thing worse than looking LGB is looking T+ heaven forbid your gender identity doesn't fit the binary you were assigned at birth
Mens fashion is all about compliance with the uniform
As someone who was abused, it's always the girl's fault. Just existing is enough. This is especially reinforced in Christian and camp circles, because one of the first stories you learn is all sin started with Eve, and women are why we're all damned.
Men are tempted, women are tempters – that's how it's always been.
This is for a kids summer camp? Who is the no white T-shirt rule for, the camp staff?
Can't be tempting the paedos that run the place, can we?
What are the enbies allowed or not allowed to wear?
NSFL joke
in America enbies go to a different camp
Oof
yeah, I probably shouldn't have written that, but it's on the mind I guess
Nono, this was an oof of appreciation.
Shorts over bathing suits is such a weird one to me. Like... Bathing suit is fine in the water, going in to the water, getting out of the water. But you best cover that shit up for lake activities or whatever. Like what a weird line to draw.
Edit: You know what? These are all really weird. Like... No white t shirts? Are you afraid of them getting wet and maybe revealing the bathing suit they are probably wearing underneath? No two peice bathing suit? Because heaven forbid you show off the most sexual part of the body - the stomach? Like... That's the difference between a one peice and a two piece, right? The stomach? The back? Maybe it's to reduce the chance of a "wardrobe malfunction"?
I dont know.
the scary thing is that those rules were probably put in place because of the grown up councillors 🤢
As once a boy & now a man. It's simple. Be embarrassed. This applies to any form of sexuality or gender.
I've been fit for my entire life and wished it wouldn't be weird for me to wear a T-shirt while swimming.
There's always more than two sides. That's why I don't flip coins, I roll dice.
These rules sound like the intention is to not enforce stereotypical sex roles.
Not saying I agree this is the right approach. I think people should be able to wear anything they like.
aren't they modesty rules that perpetuate the idea that girls' bodies are sexual while boys' bodies are not?
They should all be wearing sun protective clothing. Slip slap slop slide you little shits.
