Class Clowns and Wild Girls Syndrome

Proffesor Corlyn Jackson has come up with a book "Lad and Ladettes in higher education"

Lads and Ladettes :

We all have come across such people in our life as a student who tend to attract attention of the class with their activities generally not associated with studies in their endeavour to get ' social acclaim '. They have been termed as Lads and Ladettes for boys and girls respectively.

They are often referred to as ' Class clowns ' or     ' wild girls '  and are not very often liked by teachers but are very popular among peers. This trend was initially observed in secondary education levels however off late it has gradually moved to higher education and presents itself in more extreme forms.

Observations

1. Boys generally tend to under-perform in studies compared to girls.

2. Lad Culture is disproportionately more popular among boys than among girls.

3. There is a tendency especially among boys to not look studious and be involved in sports.

4. While if a boy is observed drinking , being racist , being violent and aggressive is generally addressed as ' boys will be boys '. A girl even if she drinks and hangs out late at night is judged a lot more harshly.

Possible explanations

1. The act of putting efforts and being studious is associated with a feminine trait in the society , hence there is a tendency among boys to avoid being seen as being studious and putting efforts in studies.

2. It is also used  by many boys who in their endeavour to be seen as popular use it as a defence mechanism - 

 - It allows their failures to be seen as due to lack of efforts and not lack of ability.

 - Sometimes several cases of boys and girls studying secretly is observed. This makes their success look effortless , without the fear of being judged if they fail.

3. This can also be seen as a reaction against the prospects of a ' new man ' who is seen as being a feminist , is open about his feelings. Being a lad gives a false sense of masculinity.

4. Boys and girls constantly live under the constant pressure to conform to the societal image of being an ideal boy or a girl.

While the societal image of masculinity is about being funny , strong and involved in sports. The societal image of an ideal girl is that of being studious , humble and associated with arts.

Those who do not conform to such ideas as termed delinquent and are seen lowly among the peer group while those who confirm to such notions are glorified in the small group.

Hence a girl involved in outdoor sports or hanging out late at night is seen with disgust and boys involved in arts such as dancing or singing are seen with homophobia.

Related information

Matt and Mark classify masculinity into 2 -

Tender masculinity - associated with traits of a

 ' new man ' where he is seen talking about feminism , is open about his emotions and has universalist values.

Non -Tender Masculinity - is associated with extreme forms of masculinity which justifies sexual harassment , being violent and aggressive , racist , homophobic as ' boys will be boys '.

While the study is specific to Europe in general and UK in particular many aspects of the study are applicable even in the Indian society.

Also with growing trend of westernisation in the middle class such outgrowths are visible. For instance the ' Bois locker room ' being talked about, involves students from one of the most well to do areas of Delhi. It can also be explained as an extreme extension of the prevalent ' Lad Culture ' even  in the Indian schools.