Fifty years on from the introduction of the miniskirt in the 1960s, the miniskirt is still causing controversy. The item of clothing now faces a potential ban in schools in the UK.
A number of schools in the UK have banned skirts altogether for the new term this month and have insisted that girls wear trousers. In others, letters have been sent to parents to say that the current fashion for wearing skirts as short and tight as possible is causing problems in school and that teachers having to deal with the issues is distracting from teaching. The Guardian this week reported that at Kinross High School in Perthshire, some parents received a ‘stinging’ note telling them:
‘The length of your daughter’s skirt is such that she spends a great deal of time pulling it down. It detracts her attention from the learning process.’
And just last week a Scottish head teacher, Robert Kelly, caused outrage by suggesting that short skirts were encouraging ‘inappropriate thoughts’ among boys. Kelly referred to a recent anti-rape advert in his statement, which caused anger with Rape Crisis Scotland, who said that his comments sent the wrong message to teenage girls. Eileen Maitland, of RCS, said that:
‘Miniskirts don’t cause rape, rapists do. School uniform is for heads to enforce but they should be extremely careful that the messages being given to young women are not encouraging prejudicial attitudes that dress is somehow a provocation.’
Many parents and teachers, however, declared their support for Kelly. UK parenting group Netmums, who criticised Tesco earlier this year for encouraging the ‘over-sexualisation’ of young girls with their school uniform ranges, backed Kelly, saying that his comments were ‘probably no worse than our dads would have been.’ And one teacher told the Observer at the weekend that:
‘Girls hitching up their skirts is not new, but it is getting worse, and the skirts are getting so high that male teachers are constantly saying they are embarrassed by the sight of female underwear in the corridors and especially on the stairs. This needs to be addressed.’
Many schools, not wanting to ban skirts altogether, are hoping to thwart the old trick of rolling up the waistband of a skirt by looking to introduce new skirt styles to their uniform, styles that cannot be customised. It’s easy to see how introducing longer skirts that would be difficult to roll up, pleated skirts or kilt-type skirts could go some way towards solving this ‘problem.’
But I think this is a tricky issue. Whilst I don’t think young girls should be told that their choice of clothing is inappropriate or invites rape, I also don’t think they should be forced to wear trousers. I also think there is a real danger that schools may focus overly on uniforms and enforcing uniform policy to the detriment of children’s education.
There are also issues surrounding the cost and availability of school uniforms – if schools choose to have a uniform, they clearly need think very carefully about which garments the uniform includes, and about the cost and availability of the uniform to all, particularly if they are making changes to existing uniform items.
What do you guys think? Fuss over nothing, bad parenting, a danger to learning or, once again, over-sexualistaion of children?
I think having them wear trousers would solve everything very neatly. It isn’t very fair that girls have an extra fashion choice which boys cannot have. Facetiously, it would be saying that anyone who has darker skin can wear an item of clothing that white children cannot when they choose to.
Of course, I love skirts. I also love expressing myself and wearing very fashionable clothing. I actually would enjoy some of the uniforms which include skirts if I were still in grade school. Mostly because I like streamlined prep (sometimes) and uniforms with skirts do now implicate sexuality. Of course it is the shorter the skirt goes the sexier it becomes. Mostly I think in this case that that is pretty fair. The girls have a set length for their skirts. They are choosing to shorten them great lengths so that sometimes they reveal their underwear. If you are choosing to this, no it is not asking to be raped (obviously), but it *is* asking for attention, from girls, boys, whomever. You might do it because you want to appear taller, rebellious, older, fashionable, or sexy.
What exactly is wrong about telling a girl that her clothing is inappropriate for school? The school mandates what the child can wear. If a girl is modifying that uniform, it is breaking the rules.
I think banning skirts sounds a bit excessive. For schools with uniforms, it should be fairly easy to design a skirt that can’t be rolled up.
I think anything that is acceptable in an work environment should be allowed at schools. Banning is just dumb, but I agree they should not be able to roll up or cut them. Men make up only 13% of teachers in the US so maybe theirs less complaints about it here.
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I personally have more issue with girls at college, for football games they “edit” their team shirts to be “cute/hotter” and 25% of the time they have a wardrobe malfunction. After that moms in the crowd, with children, get really mad and start yelling. It detracts from the game, but I sometimes was a bit of guilty enjoy the Jerry Springer like action that follows.
How times change. There was a time were pants were forbidden to be worn in school. Remember them days Blurry?
Oh yes.
I think I was in 6th grade. We started a petition and every girl and most boys in 4th through 6th signed it, including every Mom of the 5th and 6th graders. The school relented, however – we were only allowed to wear “pants suits”.
Naturally, being the 10 year old rebel that I was, I wore jeans the first week. My math teacher called me on it. I replied “What’s good for the gander is good for the goose”. He laughed himself silly and said “Absolutely!”
Not another word was said. Ever.
I was thinking of that same thing. My mom was part of a “sit-in” at her high school demanding the right to wear pants. A lot of the teachers even joined in.
They changed the rule that year.
OMG, my typing! where….
I would actually support this, simply on the basis that I live next to secondary school and I see the skirts the girls wear. I finished at that school (well, the years that involved uniforms) only five years ago and I swear we never dressed that sluttily. There are girls in year seven (so ages 11/12) wearing skirts so short and tight even I wouldn’t wear them at the ripe old age of 20.
Yes, they could assign skirts that can’t be rolled, but never underestimate the ingenious abilities of pre-pubescent girls when it comes to showing more leg. Trousers are probably the best bet.
Some girls used to do the rolling thing at both the high schools I went to, both of which were all girls schools so I’m not sure what they were trying to achieve by doing it…
It’s such a silly thing to do anyway, school uniforms are notoriously uncomfortable so why make it even more so.
OK so I didn’t say anything, even after a few days, but I am pretty sure I’m gong to be completely slammed for this.
First of all, who the hell sends their kid to school in a miniskirt?
I remember my mother telling me about the stuff you guys are talking about – how it was a huge deal to be able to wear pants period.
Im sorry if I sound old fashoined, but who the hell gets a note from their school and calls it “stinging?” because your kid is dressed like a hooker?
Sure, kids “roll” their skirts up and whatnot, but it’s not something parents should be offended about, it’s something they should take action to control, not start whining that girls should be able to “express themselves.”
I remember in high school that if you you didn’t adhere to the dress code (you’re skirt/shorts had to be at least 2 inches below your fingers) you got sent home.
Is it really that different now?
Katy, no slamming from me. I agree with what you’ve said as a whole.
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One problem that I’m sure that still takes place is when the parent doesn’t realize what the kid is doing once leaving the house in the morning. I went as far as bringing extra clothes to change into once in school, or “adjusting” my clothing after leaving the house. My parents would have killed me if they knew some of the stunts I tried. Ever hear about a “sizzle dress?” It was a dress that stopped right below your butt cheeks and you wore a little bikini bottom with it. That was the rage when I was in 9th grade. (1971 or so) I did own one, but had to sneek out of the house to wear it. Also, once we were able to wear jeans to school, hip huggers were in style. So the lower the jeans on your hips the better. In general, girls trying to look sexy at a young age is nothing new. Unfortunately, I did it myself. At that age I equated sexy with being pretty and attractive.
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But…as you pointed out, parents are now crying about their children not being able to express themselves. They allow their children to dress like this to fit in and equivalate sexy as attractive themselves. Big problem.
I actually don’t mind if the kids have to sneak around to dress inappropriately. It’s when their parents are encouraging it that it could become a huge problem. I think almost every generation for the last 100 years at least has tried to hide what they wear from their parents, and thus far it hasn’t been a problem because it’s mostly youthful…enthusiasm, maybe? I think a parent’s resistance to generational changes in clothing can sometimes be a good thing, especially since it resists early sexualization.
My school it was halfway to knee or more, but you didn’t get sent home you got to wear this horribly itchy uncomfortable school provided tv static colored sweats and could collect your actual clothing after school. That and no chesty shirts/strap on your tank top had to be over two fingers width.
In high school and grade school I am all for enforcing certain dress codes, as long as they are enforced unilaterally (my schools were famous for letting skinny girls get way with anything and if you were ever so slightly over weight, detention for you). Students (both girls and boys) tend to dress inappropriately for a learning environment filled with children and I am so sick of seeing underwear and boxers hanging out of skirts and pants and bra straps. I think it looks tacky aside from the fact it’s inappropriate.
One of my friends had to wear certain outfits (no jeans or skirts, polos or button down shirts), in whatever colors/patterns she wanted, instead of a uniform, and I think that is a great idea as it still allows for some expression while keeping the environment conservative enough for education.
I actually very much like that concept of uniforms better than the “white polo, black pants and that’s it” style of uniforms. At some point, uniforms get rather stifling, but putting restrictions on the types of clothing allows everyone to be expressive and fit within their own budgets.
I’m strongly against uniforms, but if you have one, it should be pretty simple to figure out. There were always dress codes at my schools, and if you simply have every teacher enforce the ‘skirts and shorts must extend beyond your fingertips with your arms at your sides’ rule, you won’t have this issue. I don’t see why it requires additional work..
Have some shapeless ugly shirts and skirts to force any student arriving with no appropriate clothes to wear, and you won’t have this issue for long..
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