is banning skirts in schools a good thing?
by Zhou (Chew) Hong Jie
The education authorities in England are recently fussing over whether skirts should be banned in the secondary schools due to the rampant shortening of hemlines among schoolgirls. Many are concerned over the “mixed messages” these girls might be giving. Others are worried that schoolgirls who wear such “mini” skirts might be inviting attention of the dodgy kind.
Schools to ban skirts if pupils don’t lower their hems
It is a suggestion that has many English folks divided. There are many who question the move, accusing the authorities of being prudish while others believe it is an issue of self-discipline and nothing more.
Skirts haven’t been dangerous for 6000 years. So why now?
I personally hold to the latter view. The very fact of a school UNIFORM speaks of discipline and decorum and as such there would be “rules” as to how any particular uniform should be worn, may it be the police force, the military, the medical profession, etc. As a father of three young children among whom one is a daughter, it would worry me if in the future she wears a miniskirt to secondary school.
Adolescent foolishness and sartorial sense aside, the school uniform is never one that yields to the waves and tides of transient fashion. So what if a current fashion is such and such? Does that mean our pupils are allowed to dress in gothic, adorn tattoos, flash their multiple piercings, highlight their hair in electric blue, etc, while in school uniforms?
Zeus forbid!
They are free to be whoever and do whatever they want OUT of uniform, preferably as matured adults who are stable in their self identities. But as adolescents, whose minds are still very unstable and impressionable, contrary to what they themselves may think or believe, wearing uniforms in schools is a way of instilling discipline.
As with other forms of uniform.
And as to unwanted sexual predation, screw the perverts. Women are entitled to dress the way they want.
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