The once powerful state of the USSR, which was the result of the victory of the October Revolution of 1917, ceased to exist in 1991. By this time, the country was experiencing a deep economic crisis. On the shelves of the stores there were no ordinary products, as well as other goods necessary for life. Many people are simply tired of the harsh reality and took to the streets.
Today, many of those who were born in the USSR idealize their happy childhood, speaking with nostalgia for a wonderful state in which there was the best education in the world, where everyone was calm for their tomorrow.
Modern parents often praise those times in which there were no cell phones and computers, ice cream was tastier and sweeter, and only three channels went on TV. At the same time, they recall with nostalgia the school years and their participation in the pioneer and Komsomol organizations. So what were these times like? Let us recall a little about them in terms of the education of girls, in which considerable attention was paid to their appearance.
School uniform
What did Soviet schoolgirls go to school for? In the USSR there was a single form. Moreover, everyone should have walked in it without fail. It is worth noting that the dress of the Soviet schoolgirl (photo can be seen below) did not shine with special beauty. The uniform was rather modest, brown in color with white (on public holidays) or black apron. Cuffs and a collar were sewn to the dress.
At one time, an apron for a schoolgirl of the USSR performed a protective function. It was necessary so that the girl would not smear the dress with ink. And even if the can with them accidentally capsized, only the apron suffered from it. But the schoolgirls of the USSR obviously did not like the cuffs and collars, because once a week these details had to be torn off the dress, washed, and then sewn again.
School uniform in the pre-revolutionary period
For the first time, students in Russia began to wear special suits in the 19th century. The design of the school uniform sewn for them was borrowed in England. Since 1886, a female uniform was introduced for pupils of boarding houses and gymnasiums. This form was a brown dress with a high collar, as well as two aprons - black and white. They were intended, respectively, for school days and holidays. Additional details of the ceremonial form were a straw hat and a white turn-down collar. In private schools, the uniform could have been a different color.
The advent of Soviet power
In 1918, the form that existed in pre-revolutionary Russia was canceled. The main influence was exerted by the class struggle. Indeed, according to the dogmas of the new government, the old form turned into a symbol of belonging to the nobility, and also spoke of the student's forced and humiliated position, indicating his lack of freedom. However, Soviet schoolgirls stopped wearing uniform dresses also because their parents were very poor. That is why the girls had to go to school only in what was in their wardrobe.
The exception was the pioneer form introduced in the 1930s. And even then it was provided to Soviet schoolgirls only by such giant camps as Artek, where there was an opportunity for sewing, issuing and subsequent washing of clothes. As for ordinary schools, here the pioneer uniform was a light shirt (blouse) and blue trousers (skirts), with the obligatory wearing of red ties.
Post-war years
Over the years, the Soviet government returned to the former image of a student. The girls again wore brown formal dresses and aprons. This happened in 1948. It is interesting that in 1943-1954, Soviet schoolgirls were taught separately from boys. True, after such a system in the USSR they refused.
The uniform of the Soviet schoolgirl of the 1948 model in cut, color and accessories repeated the one worn by students of classical gymnasiums. Its introduction into the era of Stalin was no longer seen as an imitation of the bourgeois past. The uniform dresses of Soviet schoolgirls became evidence of the universal equality of children.
This era was notable for its strict morals. A similar direction in education was reflected in the life of educational institutions.
Schoolgirls of the Soviet era could not conduct even the most insignificant experiments with their clothes. They were strictly forbidden to change the length and other parameters of dresses. If someone decided on this, the administration of the educational institution strictly punished the “guilty”. The teachers made their remarks in the diary of the Soviet schoolgirl, forcing them to bring all the details of the clothes in proper form. For example, the length of the girl’s dress should not have been very different from the secretly established “norm”, according to which the student’s knees should not be opened even when she was in a sitting position. A little later, with the advent of the "thaw", such a "norm" became more and more free.
Interestingly, in the Stalin era, the schoolgirl's hairstyle was also required to meet the formal requirements. If the girls wanted to have a haircut, then she was allowed only the simplest. In most cases, the hair is braided into braids. Pulling locks in tails was forbidden. Her loose long hair was not welcome. It was believed that such a hairstyle is unhygienic. Moreover, an impractical and easily soiled satin bow had to be woven into the braid in the 40s and 50s.
However, it is worth noting that strict control over the wearing of school uniforms adopted in the state was carried out far from everywhere. For example, in the villages, the students did not wear it because of the lack of the necessary funds from the parents for sewing or buying a uniform dress. Nevertheless, the requirements of neatness and accuracy have not been canceled in rural areas.
Wearing signs on the uniform
All schoolgirls of the Soviet Union were necessarily in children's, and later in youthful political organizations that legally acted on the territory of the country. Each of these communities had certain insignia. They had to be worn on a school uniform. In the era of Stalin, these were the pioneer organization badges . Adolescents and youth had the distinctive symbols of the Komsomol and VPO.
Soviet schoolgirls (photo can be seen below), who were part of a pioneer organization, sewed on the right sleeve the form of a strip of scarlet silk braid.
One such tag indicated that the girl was a link, two - the chairman of the squad headquarters, three - the chairman of the squad headquarters.
Khrushchev "thaw"
Along with the end of the Stalin era, some changes occurred in school clothes. However, they touched only costumes for boys who became less militarized. In the clothes of a schoolgirl of the USSR (photo below), nothing has changed.
In addition to the requirements for the form, instructions regarding the appearance and hairstyles of the girl have been preserved. In case of non-compliance with the rules, the class teacher could publicly make a remark to his student and demand that her parents come to school for a conversation. A categorical ban on jewelry and cosmetics has also survived. However, it was allowed to use some non-formal things, for example, blouses, worn over a school dress.
Dress uniform for pioneers
In the 60s, Soviet industry developed special costumes for those schoolgirls who were in a pioneer organization.
It was a form that included:
- ceremonial shirt with golden buttons with the VDPO emblem located on the left sleeve;
- blue fabric skirt;
- a light brown leather belt with a yellow metal buckle, on which was a star emblem;
- a red (rarely blue or blue) cap, on the right side of which a yellow star is embroidered;
- white gloves (for standard-bearers and those entering the guard of honor).
Perestroika Form
In the second half of the 70s, a new form appeared. However, they introduced it only for high school students. If there were opportunities and desires, girls from grade 8 could wear it. From grade 1 to grade 7, schoolgirls in Soviet uniforms (photo below) remained the same. Only the dress changed its length, becoming slightly higher than the knees.
In addition, a costume for a Soviet schoolgirl was also developed. It consisted of a skirt in the shape of a trapezoid, in front of which the fabric was folded, a jacket without any emblems and patch pockets, as well as vests. The three-piece suit could be used seasonally. So in warm weather the girls wore a skirt with a vest worn over a blouse. On cool days they wore a jacket. It was also possible to wear all the details of the costume at once. Wearing shoes was provided for the schoolgirl's uniform. Sports shoes were not allowed.
Schoolgirls of the Far North, regions of Siberia and the city of Leningrad could wear blue trousers instead of a skirt. They were included in the wardrobe of the girl only in the winter. As in previous times, jewelry and cosmetics for Soviet schoolgirls were banned. Nevertheless, in some cases, teachers gradually receded from these rules. And by the end of the 80s on a modest scale, the legalization of cosmetics and jewelry took place. Girls also began to wear model hairstyles, often dyeing their hair. In a suit of a Soviet schoolgirl, miniskirts began to appear more and more often. Pupils of the late 80s experimented with blouses and vests, which turned them into young ladies. During this period, teachers began to allow students to wear loose hair.
Manufacturers also sought to accommodate the wishes of their customers. They made improvements in the quality of the material of dresses (suits) and in their cut, improving the aesthetics of the overall appearance of schoolchildren.
The mandatory form was canceled in September 1991. Her wearing was no longer required, but allowed. This was enshrined in law three years later.
Features of education in the USSR
Regardless of nationality, parenting in the country was based on the same values. Already from kindergarten, children were taught to distinguish bad from good, and also told them about famous contemporaries and people who were considered the best by profession. Negative examples were also given to children. Moreover, this was done so pedagogically correct that the rejection of certain moments arose among young Soviet citizens even at a subconscious level.
One of the means of educating children in the era of the USSR were toys. They were generally straightforward and simple, but they were made only from high quality materials. At the same time, toys were quite inexpensive.
Foundation basis
Almost since birth, Soviet children have heard that man is a collective being. All this was supported by the scheme "nursery - kindergarten - school." It would seem that everything is just wonderful. However, education in kindergartens of those years had two sides of the coin. On the one hand, kindergartens have perfectly implemented the doctrine of educating the young generation in the spirit of the builders of communism, with highlighting public interests. At the same time, the kids were disciplined by the regime of the day, because it was required to adhere to it implicitly. This helped to prepare the child for the transition to school. However, in kindergartens, educators taught that the baby should be “like everyone else”. A child from an early age realized that he should not stand out, and he should do not what he wants, but what adults will say. The personal desires of the children were not taken into account at all. If semolina porridge was served, that is, it was absolutely necessary for everyone. The kids also went to the pot in formation. Mandatory for everyone was a daytime dream so unloved by children.
The only good news is that in some gardens nevertheless there were educators who could turn such minuses into pluses. They convinced the kids without forcing them. Moreover, they did not impose this or that knowledge, but aroused the desire to learn. Such children, no doubt, were lucky. After all, they were in a friendly and warm atmosphere in which a real personality was brought up.
School stage
Those skills of the "builder of communism" that the child began to receive in kindergarten, successfully developed in the future. Having become a schoolboy, he found himself in lessons that were practically saturated with the ideology of the Soviet state. Such was the teaching method in those years.
The first things that former kindergarteners saw at school were portraits of Lenin. The leader’s name was also indicated in the preface to the primer next to the words “mother” and “motherland”. It is quite difficult to imagine for modern children. To believe that the word denoting the closest person in the past was placed next to the name of the leader of the revolution is now simply impossible. And in those years, this was the norm in which children should sacredly believe.
Another feature of Soviet education was the massive participation of schoolchildren in children's organizations. All of them, with the rarest exceptions, were at first October and then pioneers and members of the Komsomol. For the children of the era described, it was very honorable. The atmosphere of the acceptance ceremony in these organizations contributed to this. It took place on a solemn line, where children dressed in full dress were congratulated by parents, teachers and invited guests. A significant role was also given to attributes in the form of badges, a pioneer tie, a banner of the squad and the flag of the detachment.
In addition, schoolchildren were constantly accustomed to shock work in their future adult life. For this purpose, classroom duty, scrap metal and waste paper collection, as well as mandatory community work days, during which the house territory was cleaned, were carried out. Such events were designed to instill in children respect for work in the team. It is worth noting that such pedagogical tactics were perceived positively by students, being for them a kind of diversity in school life.
Speaking about Soviet education, it is not worth focusing only on ideological dogmas. The system of pedagogy in the USSR was quite multifaceted, despite the fact that at first glance it was aimed at raising an obedient "screw" from a child. Moreover, at different times, the pedagogical impact on children was completely different. And this becomes clear if we consider, for example, the upbringing of girls in the period from the 1970-1980s. On the one hand, the Soviet child, so to speak, had no gender. After all, cherishing and education were absolutely the same for both boys and girls. But in fact, in the 70s of the last century, an unofficial tradition developed in society to educate princesses and young girls in girls. And all this went in parallel with the waste landings and poems about Lenin. Confirmation of this is the world of the Soviet schoolgirl, filled with dancing and playing music, as well as Christmas trees with costumes not of Anka the Machine Gunner, but of Snowflakes.
Such education was promoted by an increase in the standard of living of citizens of the USSR. By the mid-70s, a beautiful and stable life came into fashion. At the same time, golfers with pompoms and lush bows, as well as a fancy collar in a school dress, were approved by others. During this period, there was no violence against the personality of the child. That is why the world of schoolgirls in the 70s-80s is multifaceted. These are painted dolls and pioneer heroes, waste paper collections and pioneer rallies, New Year's balls and much more.