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Posted at 1:29 am. Updated at 6:00 a.m.
Laurent Côté The information aces
Daphnee Hacker-B. Staff, Les aces de l’info
Can boys wear skirts?
What do Harry Styles, Jay Du Temple and Timothée Chalamet have in common? These famous men sometimes wear clothes that were once reserved for women. Dresses, skirts, sequins and lace: men’s fashion knows no bounds!
In the trash, the rules!
Fashion has long been divided into two areas: women’s fashion and men’s fashion. But in recent years we have seen this gender barrier collapse. In other words, men are increasingly experimenting with “traditionally feminine” fashion items and vice versa.
According to Alexis Walker, fashion expert at the McCord Stewart Museum, this trend is particularly noticeable among young people. She notes that freedom of expression is a very important value for her, which pushes her to dress as she pleases.
PHOTO CATHERINE LEFEBVRE, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Angelo Cadet
In fact, Quebec animator Angelo Cadet started trying all kinds of styles when he was young. Make-up, leopard shoes, colorful clothes… “It was a way of asserting myself in front of my Haitian community at the time, which was more traditional,” he explains.
In short, today’s fashion is much more inclusive and focuses on feeling good. And that’s good !
A concept that is not new
In 1985, French fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier presented a fashion show called Et Dieu Créa l’Homme, where men wore skirts. At the time, it had caused a real scandal. We had never seen anything like this!
Society wouldn’t react like that today. In 2020, pop singer Harry Styles even appeared in a skirt on the cover of the famous Vogue magazine. According to Alexis Walker, Harry Styles has become a role model for men who love to experiment with fashion.
The power of rock
The skirt has also become a very strong symbol in Quebec schools. Many boys wore it to show their solidarity with the girls. In fact, they are often subject to stricter dress codes than boys. This means they don’t have as much freedom in choosing their clothes as boys do.
Luckily, their actions paid off as some schools agreed to a dress code change.
Based on an article by Olivia Lévy, La Presse
Babysitting: Am I entitled to minimum wage?
PHOTO JOSE MANUEL GELPI, 123RF
When you start babysitting, you have to prove yourself first!
The Quebec government announced an increase in the minimum wage to $15.25 an hour. Salary is the money a person receives for their work. But are you entitled to this rate if you babysit?
PHOTO PROVIDED BY STÉPHANIE PAQUIN
Stéphanie Paquin works as a budget consultant for the Cooperative Family Economics Association – North of Montreal.
To discuss all of this, we spoke to Stéphanie Paquin, who helps people manage their money.
What exactly is a minimum wage?
This is the lowest amount you can pay an employee. In other words, the law prohibits workers from being paid less than that wage. There are approximately 300,000 workers in Quebec who earn the minimum wage.
If we babysit, are we entitled to minimum wage?
No, the law does not require a minimum wage for this type of work. And I wouldn’t advise young people starting out in babysitting to charge $15.25 an hour. It’s a big sum! You have to prove yourself first.
What does it mean to prove yourself?
When you’re young, you don’t have any work experience. You must prove to adults that you are capable of performing the task or service requested of you. For example, if your neighbor asks you to keep her baby, she’ll see how it goes the first time. If all goes well, she might contact you as a babysitter for another night. You will prove yourself in silence!
How much money should we ask for?
If you’re starting out, I think you should be charging somewhere between $5-$10 an hour. You start with a lower rate, and when you’ve proven yourself, you can increase it. Also, you have to take into account that there are times when you watch the kids and times when you sit in front of the TV while they sleep. Instead of charging an hourly price, you can agree a fixed price with the parents. For example $20 for a whole evening of babysitting.
Can we increase the rate knowing that a family has more money?
It is important to know how much families can pay you. If your rate is too high, some families won’t be able to hire you. However, these parents deserve as much rest as the others! I babysat for several families when I was young and charged a very small fee for those who were short on money.
So should we sometimes offer services for free?
I think so, it’s called volunteering! It helps people and community organizations. Of course you have to discuss this with your parents beforehand. In your curriculum vitae (CV) you can indicate that you have been a volunteer. This is a document that summarizes your work experience. Then this resume will help you land your first job that will surely pay you minimum wage or even more if you’re lucky!
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