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Evidently, a major stereotype among people of the British Isles is how young ladies from the Northeast part of the country are seemingly impervious to the cold. “Geordies,” as the lasses are called round hereabouts, are wont to line up for clubs and pubs skimpily attired in naught but their “glad rags,” totally inappropriate for the frigid Northeast elements.
And I thought it was just American teenagers.
In any case, scientists at Newcastle, UK’s International Centre for Life have decided to get to the bottom of this mystery – they’ve designed an experiment to determine whether or not there’s a genetic basis for the apparent thick-skinned nature of the Northern ladies, or if its simply a deeply ingrained cultural habit. Local ladies will be asked to fill out a survey on their habits of cold-weather attiring, including what it would take, weather-wise, to force a Geordie lady to wear a coat. Scientists will also be perusing the clubs, attempting to quantify the coatless.
Other studies have shown that people in the north of the British Isles consume greater percentages of fat in their diets than those in the South – could more insulation possibly be the source of their apparent ability to laugh in the face of frigid temperatures? Trust science to sort it out.
Linda Rodriguez is a regular contributor to mental_floss. She just moved to London, so you can look forward to more dispatches like this.
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Huh… never heard of this. Could just be acclimation to their environment. They’re used to colder weather and as such it doesn’t bother them as much as it would bother someone from a warmer area.
I know I’ve adapted to hot weather where I live (we get approx. 90 days of > 100°F temps per year), and find it baffling when folks back east call a week of temps above 90°F a heat wave…
posted by Jason! on 2-18-2009 at 3:13 pm
We used to do this in college (in Michigan). The thinking was that you wouldn’t have to find a place to stash your coat while dancing and it wouldn’t have the beer/liquor stink.
posted by BH on 2-18-2009 at 3:16 pm
I lived in Newcastle and I’ll tell you their secret: Alcohol. Seriously.
posted by Gen on 2-18-2009 at 4:12 pm
I think you can probably ascribe it to youthful metabolism. As a teenager, I would sometimes go without socks or a jacket, in a Canadian winter, without being even remotely fazed. Unlike my mother, who had conniptions. Now I can’t look at an icicle without putting on a sweater first.
posted by Kikadee on 2-18-2009 at 4:19 pm
All the college kids do this in North Dakota. Even when it’s far below 0 degrees F. Toting a coat is a logistical nightmare when you’re drunk. And the cold doesn’t feel so bad after you’re drunk, too.
posted by Roxie on 2-18-2009 at 4:39 pm
I used to live in Newcastle and their secret is alcohol. I’m used to cold weathers because I’m from Québec, but even I couldn’t compete with these girls.
posted by Gen on 2-18-2009 at 4:43 pm
I attribute this to the youthful feeling of invincibility/youthful stupidity. And yes, I did do it. And yes, I was cold until I was drunk. :)
posted by Orange on 2-18-2009 at 4:47 pm
If it gets above 0F it feels like a heatwave in Minnesota – thus the no coat
posted by Anne on 2-18-2009 at 4:53 pm
I live in Edinburgh and have witnessed this phenomenon all over Scotland. There is no science to this, it’s simply vanity and sheer will power, and god bless ‘em for it. Would also agree that the drink is a factor.
posted by Mike on 2-19-2009 at 3:52 am
I guess not having a coat is the perfect excuse to get drunk, and getting drunk doesn’t need wearing a coat….vicious circle.
posted by Cristina on 2-19-2009 at 6:08 am
As others said, it’s likely a functional thing, you don’t need to find a place to stash the coat. It’s fairly common in other places I’m pretty sure.
Back in my college days I’d run across campus (in northern Minnesota) in nothing but jeans and a short sleve t-shirt. Young people don’t feel the cold anywhere near to the point older folks do.
It’s no big deal if they’re only going a short distance, since they don’t have to worry about hypothermia.
posted by Bart on 2-19-2009 at 9:04 am
Early on in the winter the cold feels cold. As it progresses, and after a few ‘really’ cold snaps, what once felt cold no longer does. A few weekends ago it hit 25 F, and I was shoveling the driveway in a t-shirt. (live in the Fargo, ND area)
32 F in November is terrible. 32 F in February is beach party.
CAPTCHA: ‘And Alaskan’. weird
posted by EV on 2-19-2009 at 9:27 am
Yep, ETOH and… Ecstacy
posted by AC on 2-19-2009 at 1:05 pm
Eventually they’ll make their way to Glasgow, Scotland, where all the girls where tights (micro-miniskirts optional) and ballet slippers, no matter WHAT the weather. They’ll determine it’s due to the large quantities of alcohol, no doubt, but they’ll have fun looking at all the girls.
posted by DaviMack on 2-20-2009 at 3:09 pm
My wife and I were wondering about this again when we visited London last week. You see babies in prams… without socks. Women walking to wherever during the day… without socks. Shoes that looked like ballerina slippers, no soles and… no socks. In Winter. We would even see some women with only a t-shirt on. It wasn’t Alaska cold, but was below freezing. It couldn’t have been comfortable… unless it really is just the alcohol, but agian this was during the day. People were going to and from work or shopping or whatever. It wasn’t a clubbing scene.
Interesting that others have noticed and are asking \how come?\ We couldn’t understand it.
posted by James on 2-11-2010 at 4:49 am