Throwing the Book at Hipsters, Hanes, and Hats

I love going to Kennywood Park. When you go on one of the roller coasters or some of the other rides, there’s a sign showing how tall you need to be to ride that ride. When I was a kid it was always a bummer when I wanted to go on a ride that I wasn’t tall enough for.

And now, Swedish librarians are trying to get in on that gig. The Hallands Nyheter newspaper reports that the librarians of Tullbro School in Falkenberg are clamping down on some teenage fashions. Girls whose hipsters don’t come up high enough and which show off their underwear are not allowed to borrow books. And wearers of baseball caps and beanies are similarly restricted.

I have a few thoughts on this…

1. What are librarians doing looking at schoolgirls’ underwear? Sure, I know that 21^st century Scandinavian mores are more relaxed that those here in Pittsburgh, but I’m still disturbed by this image. Unless that’s where they have their library cards stashed, in which case I can see drawing the line there.
2. OK, just stick the book under your baseball hat and you can break 2 rules at once!
3. Wise up! These are the kids who you most want to be using your library!