One of my favourite HelloGiggles articles this week has been this exciting lemonade recipe, as a celebration of the classic traditional of childhood lemonade stands. It was a lovely post, that made me feel warm and fuzzy with nostalgia….the nostalgia of seeing it on TV, that is. It’s just not something that we really did as kids in the UK. Forgive me if you did grow up here and had your own lemonade stand – in fact, I applaud you. I wanted one sooo badly.
After that, I started thinking about all the other stuff I saw on US shows that I really envied, stuff that seemed so commonplace but yet so glam. I asked a few girl friends for their input and got some extremely enthusiastic responses, so thanks girls – this is a collaborative effort.
Apologies in advance if I appear to be generalising or assuming life growing up in the USA was universally like it was in Clarissa, Saved by the Bell, Sister Sister, Sweet Valley High, etc. This is the life we were led to believe y’all were leading, and which we desperately wanted in on.
Summer Camp
The closest we got to summer camp was the odd overnight school trip – but they were still overseen by the teachers and had the same ol’ social groups and politics we had to deal with at school. Summer camp always sounded like such a great chance to meet other kids, do some cool stuff and have exciting adventures. With Smors. I don’t know what Smors are (are they something to do with marshmallow?) or even how to spell it (let me know below) – but I really REALLY wanted the chance to make them.
Cliques
This one was suggested by my friend Liz, and I concur. We know cliques are a bad thing. But I think the term was a good one – if some girls were mean, you could say “they’re so cliquey” and it would make you feel better about not being part of their exclusive gang.
Bleachers
Ah, bleachers. We had to watch sports from around the sides of the field/gym. Whist standing up. Of course, the appeal of the bleacher was not the practical convenience. No, the appeal was all the crazy stuff that was said to go on under them. Smoking! Kissing! Spying on people! The bleacher sounds like the ultimate den, and everyone likes a den.
Varsity jackets
When we had boyfriends at school, we just had boyfriends. We had no badge of honour to display it to the world. The ultimate dream, thanks to the plethora of US teen school shows (I’m looking at you, Saved by the Bell), was to wear a boy’s varsity jacket.
No school uniform
This is far from universal, and I do now see the advantages of having a uniform, but we so used to envy the kids in US schools who could express themselves so perfectly with their clothing. We used to have one non-uniform day a term, which we spent literally weeks planning our outfits for. Plus, those of us in non-private schools often had uniforms based around very unattractive sweatshirts, which are just not flattering on anybody.
Lockers
A universal vote from my girl friends – it seems student lockers in UK schools are few and far between. The reasons for wanting a locker were threefold: First of all, we had to take big ol’ school bags full of heavy heavy books to and from school every day. It hurt. Secondly, decorating your locker always seemed like another great opportunity to express yourself. Finally, we had no substitute to hanging out by someone’s locker in the hopes of seeing them. We totally missed out.
Proms
I’m including proms in the list, even though they are now pretty much a mainstay for school leavers in the UK. This is probably because of pressure from my generation (eek, I am old), who could only dream of prom and everything else it brings. Dates! Corsages! Fancy dresses! Slow dancing! Limos! We had none of that. I FINALLY went to a prom when I finished school at 18, and it was a pretty poor (albeit fun) affair compared to my expectations from TV and books. My boyfriend-at-the-time did buy me a corsage, though.
Yearbooks
Again, included even though they have been creeping in. I wanted a record of my year at school, my friends. And, most importantly, the chance to ask the guy I fancied to sign it, and spend the summer analysing what he wrote. Plus, I totally would have joined the yearbook committee.
Twinkies
Another one of Liz’s suggestions. We first heard about them in Judy Blume books and they sound so delicious!
Honourable mentions
Here’s the rest of our suggestions – I’d love to write about them all in detail but I’ve been inspired by Romilly’s lemonade stand post so much I’m going to set one up. On the pavement outside my city centre flat.
- A bedroom with a ladder for your best friend to climb up
- Hall passes
- Running out of class as soon as the bell rings
- Cars at age 16
- Red and blue paper cups at parties
- ‘Make-out’ points
- Cheerleaders
- All-in-one desk/chair combos
- Jocks
- Hanging out with friends in diners/coffee shops
- Proper cafeterias (they looked much more glam than our canteens/school dinners)
- Pop quizzes (might sound weird, but there’s something great about the thought of not having to revise)
- Not having to learn a manual transmission
- Spriiiiiiinnnnng Brrrrreeeeeeaaaaakkkkk!
- Finally, from a friend who I won’t name: “for Hanson to live in the same country as me, thus improving my chance of meeting them”.
Oh and only underclassmen actually ate in the cafeteria. All upperclassmen went off campus to eat at our favorite restaurants for lunch.
This article was so fun. It’s crazy how much we just assume that what we do is normal for all westernized nations, I had no idea. But trust me it is not that glamorous. My first s’mores experience was awful…I prefer the cinnamon graham, peanut butter and marshmallow variety. Prom is entirely what you make it, if you didn’t have fun in high school you won’t have fun at prom. Football games…are as magical as they look like on tv. I always had a blast at the game and hanging out after them. Girls don’t wear a guy’s letterman jacket anymore because title IV means we got our own but high school relationships were as dramatic, intense and ridiculous for no reason as they were on tv. I’d say late 90′s to early 2000′s tv was pretty accurate for my middle school/high school matriculation. Early 90′s was way more fun than realistic and trust me, even we wished things were as fun as they were on early 90s television.
totally agree with this! I loved my UK schools but watching things like One Tree Hill just made me so jealous of all your wonderful american high-school greatness!
Oh man, I remember wishing I could go to Summer Camp. I was obsessed with Lindsey Lohan’s version of The Parent Trap, but the closest I got was spending the summer at a relatives house. Its not the same when you see your parents every weekend.
As for the lockers, I thought I was so cool when I got to middle school and got my first locker. It was a tiny little thing in Mr. Gamble’s room. Once I moved up to high school they were pretty much extinct. We had immensely heavy back packs.
Prom I skipped out on to go to Yosemite National Park. I took my prom dress that I did already have before I decided against going and we did a mock prom. I heard my friends that went had a good time and got pretty freaky on the dance floor. But it’s not as big of a deal as it seems in the movies. I don’t know if anyone I know would even know who won Prom King and Queen.
As for the s’mores. Go ahead and order yourself some Honey Maid Graham Crackers on Amazon.com or something and get to work on them. You’ll thank yourself once you try it.
It was the yearbook I was choking for.
I had the good luck of moving from the UK to Texas when I was 12 (almost 13) so I got to experience both sides of the matter. I had lockers and uniforms…
In England, I had 4 or 5 classes a day… in Houston, I had every class every day (which boggled my mind!!) You definitely NEED the lockers there so you don’t have to carry ALL those textbooks to every class…
I didn’t have a boyfriend with a varsity jacket, but I did earn my own (for theater).
I didn’t go to Summer Camp, it’s too nasty HOT here in Texas, but I did make s’mores while camping… Graham Crackers are something I can’t compare to anything I can think of in England, but I would say that melting a marshmallow in between two Chocolate Rich Teas or Chocolate Digestives would have a similar effect… yummy!!
Oh, and Twinkies are NASTY!! They don’t go off even after years… that’s got to tell you something!!
Year books are fun, I only got my Senior (12th) year one, but they didn’t hand them out at the end of the year, you had to go back and get them during the summer… What’s the point in that?!?!?
I do enjoy my status as having experienced both countries, it was good for me. I would love to move back to the UK with my own family (American husband, 2 kids) to let them see what it’s like in the UK, but I don’t know if that will ever happen… But a girl can dream, right??
Oh man YEARBOOKS. There is a plethora of sign-offs that I believe get handed down grade to grade, to the point that a million years from now one of my descendants will flip her holographic-annual-memory-storage-device on and there will be message from at least 4 girls saying, “U R 2SWEET+2B=4GOT10.”
I agree with so many of your points! I had a prom but growing up I so wanted everything else you’ve mentioned, I kept wishing my dad would be transferred for his job to America just so I could experience everything else lol
Although I did go to camp for one week when I was 11 which was pretty awesome!
Yes to everything you said! I come from the Philippines and grew up seeing ALL OF THIS on TV and movies. I was insanely envious of summer camp, proms, lockers, boy problems, cheerleading. I want my reincarnated life to happen in suburban America so I can go to high school and make out with burnouts (Daniel Desario)
Australian high schools suffered from a lack of Dawson’s Creekification as well! However, we didn’t even have cafeteria’s or school dinners/lunches.
It kind of seriously baffles me with all the differences between UK and US high school cultural differences. I mean really, s’mores?? Graham crackers?? Wasn’t graham crackers invented by a British- American? I’ll have to look it up…anyway, I don’t envy the school uniforms, even though they are becoming much more common place here, but at least you didn’t have bans on entire color schemes, ( you know, red and blue, for gang colors) and you’re not missing anything on twinkies or make out points ( they don’t exist, only consit of losing your virginity in a nasty back alley or public park in your boyfriends dads’ car. Not cute.
wow! I couldn’t agree more with you in all of these! (specially the twinkies!! oh and the lockers and yearbooks!!) and I am from Spain. I guess it’s a Europe thing, we totally missed out!! Although I did go to a couple of summer camps!
Thanks for a lovely post! I loved it!
I agree with all of this so much!
I really wanted a locker and a year book and also to meet Hanson!
(I will meet them, I made it close to the stage next time I will be on the stage!)
I used to watch the film problem child, I think it was in number 3…
These strange twins had a lemonade stand, I was so jealous. Also who didn’t want the bedroom window ladder like Clarissa? So many things we never had.
Also, if anyone wants to check out my blog I would appreciate it! I love HelloGiggles and obviously anyone else who also does so here’s the link! http://todaytheworldtaughtme.blogspot.com
Great post, especially because I always wanted to be a British School girl! I was jealous of the cute uniforms in movies!
Also, I never used my locker, refused to go to prom and never went to summer camp! I also didn’t have a boyfriend whose varsity jacket I could wear and make out with under the bleachers…which you actually cannot go under at my school.
There were lockers at my high school, but I opted out. I also deliberately did not go to prom, ugh!!
I’ve always wanted to travel out of the US to see what it’s like – more specifically, the UK! I love learning, especially about other lifestyles/cultures. Love your article!
I grew up in Mexico but went to an American school, so we had a lot of the things American schools have, like lockers, yearbooks and no uniforms. I also went to an actual American high school in Washington State as an exchange student, so I got to live the full experience: cheerleading squad, bleachers, prom and all. Have to say, one of the best times of my life.
I do think a lot more of US school culture may be creeping in to the UK, but alhough we didn’t have prom, we always had the good ol’ school disco! But as for the canteen/cafeteria debate, from the sounds of it, it just seems that school catering is just baaaad full stop
HAHA! We must be around the same age Liza. But I’m so glad it wasnt like on these US shows, it was bad enough and Camp? *shudder* I went to Brownie Camp once for a week and I hated it, 6 weeks of that? No thank you. The bell was for the teacher not for you
so the bell would go and wed have to wait to leave. The Prom or ‘leavers do’ was actually quite good but I didn’t want to be too showy, actually biggest regret ever wish id worn a better dress but thank god we didnt need dates! I picked up a lot of American words from these shows (theres one there!) too.