Witches VS Patriarchy

Here we go again, women and girls being responsible for how men and boys behave.

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.

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.

these are the boys' rules.

To be fair, boys swimsuits are already basically just shorts, there's not much to make rules about. If a boy turned up in a speedo, there'd probably be a new rule.

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...

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.

Just in case the President of the United States wanders into camp.

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.

No rules about femboys though? I see a loophole here.

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?

What are the enbies allowed or not allowed to wear?

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.

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.

the scary thing is that those rules were probably put in place because of the grown up councillors 🤢