Miriam Forman-Brunell's Babysitter: An American History, takes on the trope of the teen sitter. As opposed to the more obviously fraught dynamic of nanny and mom (as examined in Tasha Blaine's Just Like Family and by the estimable Dodai), a babysitter's role is more marginal. Usually a social equal, generally a teen girl, the bebysitter is a transient figure, less a servant than the object of fantasy, idolization, and, in the world of John Cheever, sexual intrigue.

Babysitting's also an important trope in the teen girl world: it's often the first job a girl has, and, as embodied by The Babysitter's Club, an important way for girls to achieve financial independence and life skills, and an introduction into "teen" existence. As an interview in the New Yorker with the author tells us, the practice started in the 1920s, and has been going strong since.

Whereas nannies are characterized by their accountability - the tyranny of references and the omnipresence of moms - babysitters have always occupied a weird place: they're generally unqualified, but given a lot of responsibility. And, in the popular imagination, hijinx ensue. From the brats of Beverly Cleary's Fifteen to the adventures In Babysitting or the misadventures of Honey I Blew Up the Baby a stint with the sitter is less a part of the world than an opportunity to step outside of the norm, whether this means, for kids, entering a teenage world (Dar Williams-style) or, for the sitter, raiding the fridge and sneaking in a boyfriend.

The reality, of course, is usually a lot more boring: make the mac and cheese, get the teeth brushed, watch TV for a few hours, get $40. So why is the babysitter an "ambivalent" figure in pop culture? Says Forman-Brunell,

Teen-age girls have been contesting traditional gender ideals in highly visible ways since the nineteen-twenties. The babysitter has conveniently served as a lightning rod for adults' uncertainties about what the limits of girls' autonomy and empowerment should be. These uncertainties have played out in the media: for instance, unease about the influence of feminism, the sexual revolution, and the counter culture on girls' behavior in the nineteen-sixties led to depictions of delirious babysitters who endangered children and slutty sitters who destabilized marriages in soft-core-porn novels. In the nineteen-seventies, maniacs in horror movies like "Halloween" and "When a Stranger Calls" sought vengeance on teen-age girls unwilling to curb their pursuit of personal independence. In the eighties, it was the babysitters themselves who turned murderous in made-for-TV movies, a fantasy created, perhaps, in response to girls' uninterrupted determination to achieve authority and self-sufficiency.

The author also notes that, in the early days, male babysitters were actually considered more desirable: dependable and level-headed, as opposed to flighty girls. Whereas nowadays, where a boy might be considered a desirable mentor to a wild male child, most parents are going to turn to a female neighbor as a safer choice. Does this indicate a shift in our attitudes towards young women, or merely a calcification of gender roles? Maybe both. And maybe also something less palatable. Nowadays, it seems like oftentimes the moms who employ a neighbor as a sitter is eager for a responsible older girl's influence on her daughters - as opposed to the quotidian care of a nanny, who presumably doesn't have the same wisdom to impart. I know as a teen nerd, I was in high demand in my neighborhood as a "good influence" - and the fact that I was always free on a Saturday night didn't hurt, either. I get that, especially in a world rife with questionable influences. But the contrast between the babysitter and the actual employees - even when some people tossed the terms around with optimistic interchangeability - sometimes felt weird. Says the author, The ultimate evidence of sitters' dissatisfaction over the past century has been the frequency with which girls faced with other options turned their backs on babysitting." But maybe the fact that there will always be some who do it is even more telling.

Ask an Academic: Babysitters as Bad Girls [New Yorker]
Related: Nannies: Friends, Family, Or Employees?

The Daily Mail seems to think that the Wackibun, which is what I'm deeming this particular 'do, is the next big thing in hairstyles, as Posh Spice does tend to set off tress crazes every time she switches up her style. But is the Wackibun a do or a don't? Let's ask a few style mavens what they think.

Cathy: "I have to start wearing my hair in a bun!? Like I need another bun to worry about! I have two that are driving me crazy already, if you know what I mean!!! That was a joke about my insecurities!!!! Did my mother put you up to this? ACK! ACK! ACK!" [Ed. note- Cathy then left the room, came back with a cinnamon bun, and deadpanned: "Call me when we get back to the cinnamon bun fad." Oh, Cathy!]


Stacey McGill:"Her problem is that she's not New York Cool. She wants to be, but she's just not, I'm afraid. My friend Laine, well, my ex-friend Laine, she was wearing that bun years ago. Maybe if she accessorized with a hot pink headband and a pair of flamingo earrings, she'd be in better shape. Otherwise, this isn't a do. It's more like "doo-doo." Oh my gosh! Sorry! That was mean. I'll try to be kinder to the fashionably challenged in the future. Has she ever considered a perm? That would be great!"


Marge Simpson: "She never smiles, does she? Maybe she needs a little pizazz in her life! A blue perm has always done the trick for me. Well, that, and feeding my gambling and road rage addictions. Do you think she wants to borrow the Canyonero for a spin? I mean, come on! Live a little, lady!"


Minerva McGonagall: "Do I honestly look as if I have time to talk about such trivial things? A woman's hair should be the least of her concerns. I wear a bun for practical, not fashionable reasons. Perhaps you should read Hairus WhoCarus: A Comprehensive History Of Inane Questions before returning to my classroom."


Regina George: "That is the ugliest effing hairstyle I have ever seen."


Peggy Hill: "Well, as a fashionista—do you know that word, 'fashionista?' I believe it is Espanol. I'm a substitute Spanish teacher, you know. So I know these things. Anyway, as a fashionable modern woman, I've been wearing a bun for many years. As we say in Texas, "The higher the hair, the better a person you are overall." I call it the "Pegabun," though. You should update your definition accordingly. Hoo yeah!"


Maxine, Famous Greeting Card Curmudgeon: "You want to talk about buns? You can kiss my bun, lady!"


Little Red Riding Hood:"Oh, dude, don't ask me. I had a terrible haircut last week. Why do you think I wear this hood everywhere? It's not for fun!"


Princess Leia: "Needs more braids, I think. She should probably also move her buns to the side of her face, as that's the royal thing to do. It helps if they look like cinnamon buns. Cathy was right after all."


Cathy: "I'm right? I'm right!!! ACK ATTACK comin' atcha, Beckham!"


Victoria Beckham Unveils Posh New Hairstyle [DailyMail]

"The Sargasso mothers formed a babysitting circle, taking it in turns to watch over other calves and go hunting themselves," writes Matt Kaplan of New Scientist. "The babysitters even allowed the other mums' calves to nurse if they were hungry. The smaller Caribbean population had fewer mothers, so calves were left with a close female relative instead." Yes, well, one can only wonder what happens whenever the chance to babysit the whale equivalent of Jackie Rodowsky comes about. Who will deal with his accident-prone escapades this time around!?[NewScientist]

This is the outfit Claudia helped me to choose: a white tank top under lavender overalls, lavender push-down socks, lavender high-top sneakers, and a beaded Indian belt, which we looped droopily twice around my middle. In my hair we put lavender-and-white clips that looked like birds. I thought they were just any kind of bird, but Claudia swore up and down that they were birds of paradise. Who knows? (I think she was making that up.)"

a super-tranny from Transylvania who is not apologizing for it. Seriously though, you know Claudia grew up to be the woman who, after spending the night with a man, sneaks out of bed at 5am and spends an hour making herself all glowing and tousled and sexified and then sneaks back into bed all "what? I always look like this in the morning!" I, on the other hand, don't even bother to wipe the drool off my pillow. Love me, love my excessive amounts of drool, that's what I say.

What Claudia Wore
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Earlier: Were You A Judy Blume Enthusiast Or A Babysitters Club Nerd?