Offerend in response to Verbal's call for our high school senior portraits. Which will fit nicely with my upcoming post on my most humiliating moment.
No big co-ed high school for me, where competition for boys' attention was paramount enough to inspire big hair. I attended The Baldwin School for Girls on Philadelphia's posh, WASP, high end Main Line. Horse country. Martini country. Cotillion country.
The school was founded as a preparatory school for Bryn Mawr College. My funky little Jewish self SO did not belong there.
And since it was all girls, it's a miracle we brushed our hair at all. Some went weeks without washing theirs.
We wore uniforms, skirts below the knee, saddle shoes, white or navy knee socks. Seniors got blazers. Hmm, similar to Catholic school. But at Baldwin, in addition to a superior academic education, the Episcopalian catechism revolved around social graces.
Yes, really. No belching, farting, nose picking or ass scratching allowed.
We were actually taught how to gracefully lower ourselves into a chair, gently cross our legs at the ankle, tuck them slightly back, hands folded in our laps, posture ramrod straight. We were schooled in composing the perfect thank-you note. Creating the perfect flower arrangement. I swear this is true, how to properly serve tea.
Lunch was a nightmare of proper table manners. Those who boarded at the school had to dress for dinner. Gentleman callers were allowed on weekends, but only if recorded on a list approved by the girl's parents.
We were all required to wear the exact same thing for our senior portraits. A white buttoned-down shirt. Prep city. No jewelry. No make-up. No big hair. Seriously. Long hair, which you can't see well in my photo, was allowed, if neatly combed.
Big hair was for "other people." Yeah, you got it. Peasants.
I'm not sure why I'm turned slightly sideways in my portrait. Artistic license? Not bloody likely. Perhaps the photographer had a momentary seizure. Was tipsy. Felt just as uptohere with the many restrictions as we did.
Whatever the reason, I struck the appointed pose meant to convey I was contemplating Deep Thoughts.
And here's my high school senior portrait, so freaking boring it's pathetic.
As I was reading some of the comments it occurred to me there was a specific reason I seem so detached and aloof in my senior portrait. You can read about it here: My High School Education, Lessons in Anti-Semitism.
TIP:
Enter the amount, and click "Tip" to submit!
Max Rivlin-Nadler
drlaura2
Kristina Lakes
mhold
L in the Southeast
Jane Brogan
Salon.com
Comments
The rest looks phenomenal though...!!!!
Anyway, I’m glad you found your funky little Jewish self!
And you look absolutely destined to interview Ozzy Osbourne.
Our simultaneous roads part a bit at the beginning -- I went to a hs where the rebellious boys belched farted nose-picked and ass scratched and the demure girls giggled about it (girls don't do that of course).
Moana, good girl? Uh, that would be a definite no.
Rich, I am holding my breath.
Screamin, Rob, Greg, thank you... and Mama's right, prep schools were the worst... when we let loose, we let LOOSE. (Well, up to a point, at least for me).
Denise, Dick, Mary, Amy, Steve, I was as serious as Deep Thinkers can be sometimes, but not so very proper. And um, Leave it to Beaver is a tad before my time (well, my high school time). We were more the Jewish Brady Bunch.
Liz and Lea, have you got my number!
Silkstone and odette, you made my day!
ktm, over the years many people have told me I bear a passing resemblance to Natalie Wood, so sad she died too young. I wonder if we'd have um, matured to look the same.
Interesting and entertaining post. Thanks, Sally!
Or something.
Love the button down shirt and the nonconformist body position and the intensity of your expression.
I'm going to add a link in the post for anyone who doesn't know my grotesquely unfair high school story... maybe that's why I look so detached in the photo. And really, "detached" is one thing I never am.
Sorry to be late to the party........I give a thumb way up.....
I am so lucky we never had our nose-picking monitored by the administration.
Love the post!!!!
This is a smart chick, the kind that could get straight A's without studying, but she does three-hours homework every night anyway. She's a serious student, the kinda girl who hated guys like me, but couldn't help themselves, they were intrigued anyway. The serious studious girls always wanted know what in the hell makes a rebellious, class-clown fuck-off tick. Have you figured it out yet?
Gary, thank you, we all appreciate praise from you. Just for the record, men, your nose-picking is monitored by every woman in the car next to you at the stoplight.
Tom,
hmmm, I find I don't know what to say. Jeez.
dolores, thank you for finding it disgusting, so important that we all feel that way.
dorella, where should we go tonight?!
Nice2MeetU. (Rated!)
noah, um, no computers (well, not for personal use) in those days.