Androgyny

In 1965, The Barbarians, a garage band out of Cape Cod, charted with their second single, "Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl?"

They weren't even one-hit wonders, since they never got past #55 on the Billboard charts. At the time, they wore their hair longer than most, and must have caught a lot of flak for it. Apparently the song came out of their experiences.

Another American sixties group reacting to the British Invasion, they disbanded in 1968.

For people who grew up in the last forty years, it's sometimes hard to understand that the Beatles' early haircuts were quite appalling to mainstream America. Still years away from the hair and glam bands and guys wearing lipstick, rouge, and eye-shadow, if, in 1965 you were a boy and your hair touched your collar in back? You would be sent home from school for a haircut.

Men with locks covering their ears and flowing over their shoulders were, at best, suspect.

In my senior high school class picture, with one exception, the boys all wear their hair combed back or close-cropped in crewcuts or flattops, and none of it is long.

For some reason, the lyrics to The Barbarians's song popped into my head this morning whilst walking the dogs.

Let me share them with you ...

Are you a boy? Or are you a girl?
With your long blond hair you look like a girl
Yeah, you look like a girl
You may be a boy, hey, you look like a girl

You're either a girl or you come from Liverpool
Yeah, Liverpool
You can dog like a female monkey, but you swim like a stone
Yeah, a rolling stone
You may be a boy, hey, you look like a girl
Hey! Aw!

Hey!
You're always wearing skin tight pants and boys wear pants
But in your skin tight pants you look like a girl
Yeah, you look like a girl
You may be a boy, hey, you look like a girl
Hey!

Are you a boy? Or are you a girl?
With your long blond hair you look like a girl
Yeah, you look like a girl
You may be a boy, hey, you look like a girl
Hey!
Yeah, you look like a girl, hey!
Yeah, you look like a girl, hey!
Yeah, you look like a girl, hey!
Yeah, you look like a girl, hey!