'Lad in a Frock'

Clippings from news sources involving fashion freedom and other gender equality issues.
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SkirtsDad
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'Lad in a Frock'

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denimini
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Re: 'Lad in a Frock'

Post by denimini »

Always good to see stories of persistance and success in the face of adversity.
The term frock seems rather quaint and outdated, which I suspect still used with a surreptitious rhyming with another word referring to men.
The term frock is still in limited current use; A search on eBay for "frock" worldwide gave 1.4% of the results for "skirt" and 0.25% of the results for dress. I must admit I have never searched for a frock before and most look like dresses to my uninitiated eye. A priest being defrocked refers to the removal of the frock-like vestments of clergy and ministers, which are robes, albs or cassocks but rarely referred to as frocks.
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JohnH
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Re: 'Lad in a Frock'

Post by JohnH »

I as an American never heard the word frock except on the Internet (about 6 years ago). As far as I can tell the word is used hardly at all in the US. We do use the word defrock in connection with the clergy.

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Re: 'Lad in a Frock'

Post by Stevie D »

'Frock' is probably much more familiar in the UK than elsewhere. It is slightly antiquated in its usage but just about everyone will know what you mean. It definitely means a dress and not a skirt.

The term 'posh frocks' is a somewhat colloquial expression used to indicate formal wear to a party or other occasion where evening or cocktail dresses are expected. It signifies a chance to dress up. :wink:
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Re: 'Lad in a Frock'

Post by crfriend »

I've spent the entirety of my life on the western banks of the Atlantic and I've always been familiar with the term. True, it's not in common use in these here parts, but there are plenty of people who know that the term means.

By the by, I actually have one now. Ii arrived today.
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Re: 'Lad in a Frock'

Post by Kirbstone »

Almost no usage of that word nowadays here, too. Re; Dressing up, a jocular 'put on me best frock' would be as far as that word would go.

I'm not into 'frocks' at all, but have a lot of new varied skirts recently come, which will get an airing soon and perhaps will be photographed when the Sun makes its re-appearance, which can't be many years off now !!

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Re: 'Lad in a Frock'

Post by Happy-N-Skirts »

A frock to me is what an artist wears over clothes when painting.

A frock coat was a term for a man's long coat in the 19th century. Abraham Lincoln wore a frock coat
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Re: 'Lad in a Frock'

Post by Uncle Al »

Happy-N-Skirts wrote:A frock to me is what an artist wears over clothes when painting.
For me, an Artist(Painter) wore a Smock while painting.
This was to protect his clothes.

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SkirtsDad
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Re: 'Lad in a Frock'

Post by SkirtsDad »

The term frock, whilst perhaps being considered a little antiquated by some, is definitely still alive and well in the UK.

Just a couple of unrelated random frock references:
http://www.getyourfrockon.org/news/
http://metro.co.uk/2017/11/27/meghan-ma ... k-7112665/

For me I tend to think of a frock as typically a short or shortish, slightly floaty summer or party dress, maybe a skater, mini dress or cocktail dress. I probably would not use the term for a maxi-dress or ball gown, for instance.
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Re: 'Lad in a Frock'

Post by hillaryskirt »

Is it just me but I think of a frock as a somewhat more structured garment than a dress. I would not call a floaty boho dress a frock, for example. A frock would be more likely to be a corset-style ballgown, say, or (does anyone use this term now?) a cocktail dress, perhaps in a firmer fabric like satin.
There is soething slightly fetishistic about the term frock. Perhaps carrying the notion of restraint. ie '[He or she] was frocked.'
Those are my thoughts for what they are worth.
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Re: 'Lad in a Frock'

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The term frock is perhaps somewhat antiquated nowadays but here in The North it's used colloquially and somewhat jokingly generally in conjunction with "posh". Dress and frock are mostly interchangeable and don't imply any differences. At least that's how I understand it.
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Re: 'Lad in a Frock'

Post by Wonderful Electric »

What a fabulous story. Thank you for sharing this. Here’s the part that really spoke to me:

I love being a boy and I don’t want to be a girl, but I do like the clothes. “Every day, I create my look depending on how I feel; some days I’ll want to be loud, other days I’ll want to blend in more. The interesting thing about this process is that it’s taught me I’ve become comfortable just being Jamie.”
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Re: 'Lad in a Frock'

Post by hillaryskirt »

Sinned wrote:The term frock is perhaps somewhat antiquated nowadays but here in The North it's used colloquially and somewhat jokingly generally in conjunction with "posh". Dress and frock are mostly interchangeable and don't imply any differences. At least that's how I understand it.
Thanks, Sinned, yes it was always that way in South Yorkshire where I lived for 14 years.
Posh frocks were de rigueur for any kind of event for women.

My liking for frocks was from boyhood for the more structured and satin finished dress and I experimented and wore some as a teenager.
"The past is never dead. It's not even past." - William Faulkner.
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TheRod
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Re: 'Lad in a Frock'

Post by TheRod »

Frock is used fairly often in Australian newspapers, less so in everyday speech.
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hillaryskirt
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Re: 'Lad in a Frock'

Post by hillaryskirt »

TheRod wrote:Frock is used fairly often in Australian newspapers, less so in everyday speech.
Kinda the same here but this being England there is always someone who will adopt the old school & hurrah for that. :P
"The past is never dead. It's not even past." - William Faulkner.
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