Why Did Victorian Children Wear Sailor Suits?

[@DJCheese77]

"why did this thing happen in Britain? "well, Queen Victoria-" "say no more"

[@The360MlgNoscoper]

It’s called the Victorian age for a reason

[@CarbonatedCondensation]

Pretty much, yeah 😂

[@blakksheep736]

Queen Victoria was to Britain what the Edo period was to Japan.

[@Mojo_3.14]

I mean, she's the reason we have CHRISTMAS TREES! I still can't get over that. I live in the USA and we all copied her too.

[@rebeccaanne9863]

@@Mojo_3.14and also why brides in all abrahamic religions wear white. She set the trend.

[@britishbirdie9113]

basically "It's cute" lol humans never change

[@theemmjay5130]

The Victorians would have loved LOLcats. Prove me wrong.

[@2sudonim]

@@theemmjay5130 The ancient Chinese and Egyptians would have as well.

[@chaosPneumatic]

​​​​​​@@theemmjay5130 I mean... if you google it, you can find black and white photos of funny cats from the 19th century WITH CAPTIONS. A guy named Harry Pointer made most of them.

[@xXx_Regulus_xXx]

the English aristocracy thought it was cute, and, skipping ahead a bit, Japan came to agree with them.

[@chaosPneumatic]

@@theemmjay5130 I mean... if you google it, you can find black and white photos of funny cats from the 19th century _with captions!_ A guy named Harry Pointer made most of them.

[@ragnkja]

I love when costumes turn out to be so comfortable that they end up being worn as regular clothes.

[@myladycasagrande863]

It makes sense in this case, since sailors' uniforms are meant to be functional clothes.

[@Stephen-Fox]

@@myladycasagrande863 And also have you ever tried getting a child to take off a costume they really like?

[@myladycasagrande863]

@@Stephen-Fox fair point! 😆

[@delmuswu-tangbroadnax9056]

One time for Halloween I wore a toga. Man I wish I could wear those daily😂

[@nordicmind82]

@@delmuswu-tangbroadnax9056 This just in! You can!

[@DavidCruickshank]

There is something very heartwarming about the answer being that a mother thought her son looked cute in it.

[@moblinmajorgeneral]

Helps that Edward VII actually did enjoy wearing it, too

[@christinedunwoody1854]

That and the fact that the prince was a typical little kid who wanted to keep wearing his costume in regular life 😍

[@johnnyjoestar1909]

@@christinedunwoody1854 also the fact about Prince Albert getting her a painting of it for her birthdays cause he knew how much she liked it

[@forest_green]

​@@christinedunwoody1854 it's like when my mom dressed my little sister up like a train engineer once, and then my sister wore those striped overalls and striped cap every day until they both literally fell apart at the seams lol

[@lua-nya]

​@@forest_green now if you tell me ten years later your sister studies for train engineering I'll believe you.

[@MushroomHat]

Sometimes there’s no deeper meaning to something historical other than “someone liked it and it caught on”

[@blakesby]

I think you mean: the Royals did it once, and it caught on.

[@MushroomHat]

@@blakesby not all trends are set by someone royal.

[@blakesby]

@@MushroomHat I never said that all trends are set by royals, but 'this trend was set by royals' is literally the subject of the video.

[@caramelcream8569]

"someone liked it and it caught on" and "a royal liked it and it caught on" are the same thing. They don't contradict each other

[@glenngriffon8032]

It's the same basic principle in meme culture. Heck this can be classified as a meme since a meme is really just an idea.

[@joermnyc]

Queen Victoria and her family were the “influencers” of her day: white wedding dresses took off because she wore one when she married Prince Albert. Prince Albert put up a Christmas tree in the palace and then everyone wanted a tree.

[@Pandangus]

Let's not forget the famous piercing too! 😅

[@bearcb]

Christmas trees originated in southwest Germany/east France. He might be responsible for popularizing them in Britain, but they were used in the continent much before

[@StellaMariaGiulia]

And later on, her great-grandson, aka the prince of Wales aka Edward VIII singlehandedly ignited the craze for fair isle jumpers with his 1921 portrait

[@MushroomHat]

@@bearcb queen Charlotte also did it in England before Victoria

[@mariusth4734]

Influencers with REAL influence

[@Albinojackrussel]

Tbf, based on that painting, she was right. Its fucking adorable

[@angelwhispers2060]

❤ yep

[@MalloonTarka]

I cannot read the phrase "fucking adorable" without it sounding like the voiceline from Company of Heroes 2.

[@bozomori2287]

Profanity

[@oltedders]

​@bozomori2287 Well it IS a sailor suit after all.

[@itskarl7575]

@@bozomori2287 Not profanity, just a dirty word. No gods were insulted in the making of that comment.

[@rickbo3366]

I dressed like a sailor most of the 90s… wait, I was in the Navy. Never mind.

[@guessillbeonmyway]

😂😂😂

[@Tentaclestudio1]

Hello sailor! 😉

[@shewho333]

😂

[@zoepeters3826]

Suits you! 😅

[@JohnSmith-zw8vp]

Where you sailed the seven seas?

[@Mousy677]

my favourite part of that story is that not only did queen victoria love the sailor suit but the sailors on board the royal yacht did too. from what i've read about the occasion in question they were all massively excited and supportive and gave him a round of applause for wearing it.

[@GiraffeFlavoredCondoms]

I mean, tbf, what were they gonna do, boo the queens kid?

[@Nefferduat]

​@GiraffeFlavoredCondoms yes, but also a little child dressed like your job is 99% of the time fucking delightful regardless of how royal the kid is

[@michaelccozens]

Well, I'm glad it turned-out better than a similar upbringing did for "Little Boots", aka Caligula.

[@carola-lifeinparis]

very believable :) and he not only looked cute, it was the son of the queen, so I can totally see that happening

[@MelissaBlue]

Absolutely can see the crew loving it! I'm an Army brat and, growing up, there was so many opportunities for us military kids to do little training weekends and learn to march like our parents. We were excited to be like our parents and all the adults thought it was pretty adorable.

[@jbennett3067]

I love that he wore his sailor suit until he just couldn't fit anymore. My daughter did the same thing with the Dorothy dress I made for her 2nd Halloween. Of course, I accidentally made it too big, so she got to wear it for nearly three years.

[@horseenthusiast1250]

Oh, I did the same thing as a kid! I wore my homemade cloak and gown until they didn't fit, and I wore the storebought ruby slippers I had until they didn't fit, either. Sometimes all at once.

[@waffles3629]

Awww. My sister had this dress and really liked that she wore for 4-5 years. It started out too big and almost touching the floor, and by the end was a shirt.

[@suzannecooper5323]

My redheaded son did the same thing with his Chucky costume when he was in 2nd grade. He changed into it as soon as he got home from school.

[@Mostie-ev7oh]

Did the same thing with the Cinderella and Snow White costumes my ma made as a kid.

[@djdissi]

Lol I did the same with my own sailor suit (with pleated skirt) that my grandma sowed for me when I was little in the early 60s... I loved that suit ❤⚓️⛵️

[@adrienstarfaer]

Continuing to wear it, even as he was beginning to outgrow it is both hilarious and adorable

[@carola-lifeinparis]

he probably did not get standing ovations for every outfit he had ...

[@Eloraurora]

It is weirdly cute to picture the sailor suit as an equivalent to a modern kid's Spiderman pajamas.

[@hyun-shik7327]

First it was just fashion then it started to be a school uniform, then Japan picked up on that, and then along came Sailor Moon.

[@IISheireenII]

Can you imagine explaining this connection to someone not familiar with any of it in ~200 years? Why do these girls wear magically created British sailor uniforms with impractically short skirts? Because Queen Victoria thought it was cute.

[@deshproductions]

We live in a weird world.

[@scottyb8392]

I was going to say, some of them look like school uniforms!!! The blue and white ones, except in Japan they've got neckties or like,,, fabric that goes round the neck? It's very interesting to have as a uniform

[@SamAronow]

@@IISheireenII”You see, iron atoms have angular momentum…”

[@danielch6662]

​@@IISheireenII actual uniforms are not that short, but they do look like that. They got _sexed up_ for mangas, which then led to animes.

[@bexthewitch87]

It's the same vibe as my brother wearing his Batman cape my mom made him for Halloween and then him wearing it until it nearly strangled him! 😂😂😂

[@angelwhispers2060]

Humans going to human lol

[@TheThomNorth]

Sidenote: Donald Duck was actually supposed to be a child when first introduced, which is why he is always dressed in a sailor's outfit. Legendary Disney comic artist Don Rosa hated having to draw the sailor's outfit on him, which he found nonsensical to his character.

[@jennifers5560]

It made sense to me, that a duck would be a sailor. 😀

[@eugenioginicambaceres2882]

Being a duck implies a big relationship with water and moving through that element. So I find it far from nonsensical

[@TheThomNorth]

​@@eugenioginicambaceres2882 definitely a great point. In Don Rosa's case, I kind of get it though. His comics are very realistic, gritty and extremely detailed, and having a character wear a sailor's suit for no reason is very much not in his style. However, at the end of the day, they are still stories about talking ducks, dogs and pigs lol

[@gaz-l621]

Ironically, this paid off decades later when the 2017 version of Ducktales had his sister as a major character, and she's dressed in an old-timey pilot's uniform, which is one of those 'why did no one do it sooner' ideas.

[@Caitydid561]

Maybe originally, but he definitely grew into an adult over the ten or so years he was around before the US joined WWII, because part of the military propaganda included a short film where Donald Duck enlisted in the Navy. In later cartoons, Disney even explored him having PTSD (or shell-shock, as it was called back then).

[@BowserTheSecond]

So what you're saying is... Queen Victoria created Sailor Moon?

[@marchpaxton3293]

😂😂😂😂😂 Truly funny!!

[@_D_P_]

Whoooooaaaaa!

[@jimtaylor294]

...and presumably the entire Sailor Seifuku genre of Japanese school uniforms 🤔😌👌

[@oscaranderson5719]

first domino: Queen Victoria dresses prince up in sailor outfit last domino: sailor fuku fetishists

[@Iflie]

Myeah that's probably how it was in Death In Venice, where "the most beautiful boy in the world" wore it, which inspired manga pretty boys and then Sailor moon.

[@ish474]

Of all the horrible things that happened to Victorian children this is by far the cutest

[@anya93918]

Horrible things mostly happened to poor Victorian children. Royalty have always led sheltered and pampered lives.

[@ish474]

@@anya93918 Is water also wet?

[@stringplayer2992]

By the term “Victorian children” I think that op is also talking about children who generally lived during the Victorian era. And yes, the children of royal lineage had better lives than the children of “commoners” but terrible occurrences don’t cease to be terrible when they cross socioeconomic lines. Still, I can understand not wanting to be too sympathetic to institution of monarchy.

[@Brievel]

​@@stringplayer2992 No child asked to be born a prince or princess, you can still have compassion on a child without supporting a system.

[@alexcunningham1647]

​@@anya93918the only difference being is they were generally cleaner and wouldn't be in many of the same dangerous positions of the "working" class however while the poor couldn't afford medicine the rich were getting killed by it also most fashion but especially high fashion was determined by what the influential types deemed to be in vogue these things being wildy toxic and cancerous much of the time essentially yes the rich and especially royalty were living the best life you could in the Victorian area as a far as were concerned though we would find their lives to be not very enjoyable do to modern conveniences none of them had and all of the Victorians regardless of social status were dropping dead or the had their DNA mutatd causing birth defects and they were the first generations to have industrial run off and contamination in their food (humans have been tampering with each others shit since laws/rules about were made/society existing so nit the same contamination is what I'm getting at)

[@doktormozg]

They all seem so alien because of the hundreds of years between us but also so relateable because of the humor

[@sweethistortea]

It shows we have loved dressing up babies in cute outfits for centuries. xD

[@ledderlegstheshort9275]

174 years if he was roughly 4/5 years old when this took place. So not that long ago really.

[@FlowerChild65]

This also caught on again in the 90s. A lot of kid’s clothes were inspired by the Victorian era and I know I had a few sailor inspired dresses and outfits.

[@SamAronow]

Oh thank God I'm not the only one who remembers this. In my school in kindergarten all the girls wore Victorian dresses and then they came back from summer break in normal street clothes. This would've been in 1996.

[@TheMbmdcrew]

So did I! I have a picture of me as a toddler in a sailor-inspired dress. I looked so cute!

[@FlowerChild65]

@@SamAronow Yep! Not just the sailor looks but the big floral dresses with the lace collars and the lace socks or ruffle socks. These were especially popular for church clothes in my circles.

[@KelseyDrummer]

I did the same thing. Grade 2 I wore the same Sailor dress every day. I have it memorialized in my school photo.

[@mcswordfish]

Some of my Dad's siblings never quite got over the Edwardian era (despite being born in the 50s and 60s), so a couple of my cousins occasionally had to wear sailor suits to family events even as their ages reached double-digits.

[@alestane2]

And thus, in an indirect way, Queen Victoria became one of the inspirations for Sailor Moon

[@charlations]

@@alestane2 lmao that's a wild domino effect

[@sweethistortea]

I always thought the picture of Edward VII as a toddler in the sailor suit was adorable.

[@kittymervine6115]

my daughter went to a high school where the uniform, which has NEVER changed, is a sailor dress. They don't wear it all the time, but as parents we had to purchase it and the girls wore it for graduations and special occasions. Westover School in CT

[@Ethrianor]

Reminds me of an early Summer Wine piece, with Blamire and Compo in the cafe. Blamire - 'It was the custom in those days for many children to wear sailor suits.' Compo - Well I never had one.' Blamire - 'I am surprised. Your mother knew enough sailors.'

[@aazhie]

Omg scandalous!!! XD

[@AndrewAMartin]

*knew

[@Ethrianor]

@@AndrewAMartin Oopsy. New keyboard, it's not as light touch as my last one. The number of times I've had to go back and add letters I've lost count.

[@AndrewAMartin]

@@Ethrianor I can relate - when my former employer 'upgraded' my PC, I kept the old keyboard (and a couple extra) because it was so much better than the new one.

[@mamavanaedan]

I picture him like any kid l living in their favorite costume. It's really cute!

[@angelwhispers2060]

Yep ❤

[@williamgechtman9287]

There is a picture of me as a child in a sailor suit from the early 1960s. Of course, my grandfather was born to literal Victorian British parents, so perhaps that's not surprising.

[@Schnoodleboops]

I remember seeing a picture of my Great Grandfather dressed like this. Now I know the history of why 😊 So cool!

[@kateherr2893]

I have pics of people in my family dressed like this, too. It's funny when it's the ones who went on to become sailors, but I have pics of the lumber side of the family dressed as sailors and now it makes more sense.

[@jackhaugh]

I’d say it’s far less than cool.

[@SamAronow]

I didn’t expect this, but thank you!

[@dacarrico]

Came to the comments to see if you were THAT Sam Aranow, was not disappointed. Great channels.

[@quokka_yt]

Had to scroll way too far for this! I love your videos Sam, keep it up!

[@Hp-pm2of]

One of my favorite channels sam!

[@darryshan]

Love seeing you around KZbin! Keep up the good work!

[@nameistanya]

Eyyyy it's Sam! love your work! ^^

[@DishyLemon]

That portrait goes so hard. Homie dripped tf out 🥶

[@OrigamiMiku]

The cutesy voice you did is absolutely hilarious!! The little man liked that he looked like a sailor (which he probably adored at the time) and wore it to death like every child and their favorite Halloween costume!

[@mariapdr3261]

Queen Victoria really was more of a fashion icon than I ever realized.

[@nullusanxietas2379]

The fact that he kept on wearing it like a kid with a spider-man or fair costume, even when it started to get too small is very sweet. Kids never really stop being kids.

[@gwenethp511]

As someone whose family is Breton, I love sailor outfits. I have a photo of me wearing a cute sailor dress as a kid on the beaches of Bretagne when we were visiting a family friend. I also liked the sailor uniform look because I loved the Japanese school uniforms as a kid. I was so jealous when my friend moved to Japan and got to wear the uniform, lol.

[@QueueWithACapitalQ]

Me about to correct Kingsguard to Queensguard only to stop myself. I would use the excuse that it was the Queen for my entire life but thats true for almost everyone lol.

[@carlosvasquezjr92]

Not to mention that the outfit looks dapper! At least in the painting

[@laurahyland5020]

I have a photo of me as a child dressed in a sailor style dress and that was in the 1960s.

[@-Reagan]

Kids do look cute dressed as tiny sailors and they actually still do it in America, sometimes. The outfits have only evolved a little bit. They look pretty much the same (on children, I can’t really speak for the grownups who wear them and have sexualized it). A lot of them include the same beret type hat with the little notched ribbon sticking out on one side. For instance, I had a little sailor dress when I was little, that I wore sailing with my uncle and I still remember how much I loved it. I dressed my son in a tiny preppy sailing outfit when he first went out with my uncle and with his other grandparents’. I see toddlers and babies… (and J fashion girls and gay men) wearing versions of sailor suits on the Fourth of July/Independence Day…. Ironically, ig considering the day is a celebration of America’s independence from Britain and royalism and the fact you’re now telling me sailor suits are (apparently) inspired by Queen Victoria…) Idk it’s still cute to me. It seems a lot of schoolgirl outfits are also influenced by sailor suits - particularly those in Japanese fashion and stereotyped anime like Sailor Moon.

[@Pippis78]

My grandpa around 1910, in a sailorsuit with his little sister in a studio photo. The trend didn't stay in the UK. My grandpa was photographed in Germany or Finland (or Sweden). He did make a career in designing and making ships though! Even married a sailor! (My grandma.)

[@losrin5447]

honestly it’s really cute. nautical fashion in general is pretty nice

[@jaded_gerManic]

LOLOLOLOL 👏👏👏 Naval fashion for civilians began as a joke?! Love it! 👑

[@amaliaregno5282]

This is such an adorable answer! That painting! What a cute little boy he was!

[@lieselstrick]

I had a blue sailor dress as well when I was 4 or 5. I loved it so much.

[@WorgenGrrl]

How can you look at that painting and not find it adorable?!

[@beastshawnee]

This has actually carried over into some Native American fashion from the 1920’s which is still being worn mainly by Pawnees and Shawnees today. The women’s blouses usually have a sailor collar in the back and ribbons accent it as well.

[@pipe2devnull]

In the 60s my brother and I were photographed in sailor outfits as toddlers. His was a colour and mine was b/w photograph.

[@kimberlypatton205]

I am 64 and my sister is 62. My only uncle (mom’s brother) was in the Navy then and worked in submarines. Somehow he had both of us made (for a 5 & 3 yo) overseas , exact replicas of navy sailor suits with white trim. I love looking at those old photos!

[@RRonco]

Even Katherine, Princess of Wales, wore a sailor sweater (and jeans) to announce her cancer diagnosis on the BBC, which was carefully and well chosen

[@burtmurry1690]

My son did the same thing with his Halloween costumes. He would wear them daily until they were tatters.

[@beepbeepmeepmeep]

The wearing it even when he had outgrown it is so relateable as a parent !

[@WeatherGirlWares]

It's still adorable xx

[@KokueiKatana13]

It’s 2024 and my kid is in a sailor suit once a week. Thanks, Victoria!

[@Arhimith]

Your videos are always educational, to the point and fun! Thank you!!!

[@bjorkyorke]

That’s so fucking cute Very human it’s heart-warming

[@susanlilley-rizos9906]

I grew up in the 50s and wearing a sailor dress was such a thrill for little me.⚓️

[@clarisaquino]

"to dress baby Edward" my favorite part of the video when she does this cute voice 😁

[@jeromeb1836]

In Imperial Germany around that time it was also pretty common to dress children in navy uniforms. Because the Kaiser was a big navy fan.

[@inisipisTV]

That’s late 19th century. After Germany was founded. Queen Victoria did it in the early 19th century when the future King Edward was still a child.

[@megancooper8676]

Queen victoria has such a big impact on the world its crazy.

[@SomnusLucisCaelum]

Those sailor outfits were adorable tbh, id love them to be back in style :p

[@sean3533]

Our mom dressed my siblings and I in sailor outfits in the 90's, I wore boat shoes in the 2000's to look 'preppy'. Thanks Queen V!

[@JuliaFrancisEmilyLouise]

This is a really gorgeous story, thank you

[@LuxVertas]

all for the meme, the more we change the more we stay the same!

[@amandageyman8033]

It's so cute that he loved it so much that he wore it even after he outgrew it.

[@Danka42]

I love that he kept wearing it even when it was too small ❤

[@yvettevandermolen2455]

I had a sailor outfit as a teen in the early 1980s! It was super cute.

[@zenebean]

That kid's pose is on point, absolutely owning that naval attire

[@TheAnakinn]

The royals - popstars before there were popstars

[@chaosandduality931]

The amount of fashion inspired by Queen Victoria is ridiculous... From little children's sailor outfits to white wedding gowns. Just because she could do it she would. And today we are all keeping her whimsical fashion spirit alive. Ps.: Not hating since I love the Victorian era and all her crazy ideas apart from the white wedding dress one cuz I don't like white clothing.

[@ezachleewright2309]

"Even when he began to outgrow it" yo that is freaking adorable

[@antonking8784]

Amazing that one moment in time can have such a real and lasting impression on so many

[@Thestorminator89]

What would be really hilarious, if he was dressed as a clown and that caught on.

[@TheMewtata]

Ah, copying royalty. Why most fashion happened.

[@IgnorantSeeker]

Now it really makes sense that V&A are the museums of design and fashion. They really led the fashion like no one else did.

[@indefatigable8193]

My parents dressed me in sailor outfits when I was a baby. It was the 80s. Every time I look at it I feel a tinge of Victorian energy mixed with the theme song of Family Ties

[@SentMyOwnWay]

My folks dressed me up like a sailor when I was a small child 😐

[@sammygirl6910]

I love that he kept wearing it, like a today kid and their Spidey costume. ❤

[@sIightIybored]

I wasn't ready for the Queen Victoria 'Impression'

[@cableferret9804]

And it was freeking adorable.

[@triumphantpeanut5726]

I was holding my breath when I first played the video. So rare to be able to laugh instead of cry when hearing a story of Victorian children 😬 😆

[@catherinefisher2896]

I even had a sailor's style outfit as a child

[@rebekahgoss4985]

April fool's jokes should be this wholesome.

[@jennifern1453]

Thank you Queen Victoria for inadvertently causing Sailor Moon

[@aazhie]

I mean, the painting IS pretty cute x3 But this is so hilarious

[@mr.bluesky4130]

To be fair: it is absolutely adorable

[@MsSilvain]

I absolutely love how you deliver this, even more, so that when you were mocking Queen Victoria‘s voice/thoughts with your funny boys, and made such a great impression of my man when he is a joker. It just made me feel at home, and I love this. Also, I absolutely love the content and you broad knowledge so... Thank you. 😁😁

[@ajwinberg]

You have to admit that it is a really cute style. 😅 Edward looks adorable in it.

[@sonofdionysis]

My South African mother dressed me like a sailor, too. I was four in the 1970s.

[@helenstewart5659]

this is the content I need in my life.

[@wendynordstrom3487]

Aww, that's sweet that he loved it so much he wore it till he outgrew it. 🥰🥰

[@SomeoneOnlyWeKnow.]

I like Queen Victoria's sense of humour

[@dodgyyoutuber9560]

Cuuute it was basically his Spider-Man jammies

[@greenman6141]

So, THAT'S why I wore so many sailor outfits as a child

[@Wobblybob2004]

Relatable. My lad had a Thomas the tank enging onesie. We eventualy had to cut the feet of the thing, before it turned him into a hunchback.

[@katieshantz3517]

I put my daughter in a little sailor girl dress for Easter. It's a super cute dress I had found in Sam's club. I love that little nugget of history! Thank you! ❤

[@janetanderson8439]

I had various iterations of summer and winter sailor suits for most of my childhood. I loved the little cape thingy and the piping. I definitely thought it was wierd that “sailor suit” was an option for genre of clothing, but I was totally there for it.

[@ShakirahIbaad]

Cutest part is that the little prince loved his sailor outfit 🥰

[@TheCimbrianBull]

The way she says "to dress baby Edward up as a tiny little sailorman" made me howl with laughter! 😂🤣 😅

[@Annie_Annie__]

My mom has a photo of my brother and I as little toddlers both in Victorian sailor inspired outfits. It was taken in the mid-1980s, so I’m guessing that since frills and poofy dresses were popular for little girls at the time, that other Victorian-inspired outfits were too. (Though, mom liked those outfits because our dad was in the Navy)

[@misseli1]

I like how you color-coded the fruits abd veggies!

[@plenty-of-stardust]

This is so amazing, so much beautiful art!!!!

[@LauraBeeDannon]

Yes, kids will wear the heck out of their favorite outfit. They will be squeazing into it til you have to cut it off. That boy must have adored that sailor suit. So cute.