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Original poster

Shorts under school summer dress?

150 replies

mommathatwearspink · 22/04/2019 21:19

DD (5) goes back to school after half term tomorrow and will be going back in her Summer dress. I’ve heard friends talking about their daughters wearing white modesty shorts under their school summer dresses... I didn’t know this was a thing?? Should I invest in some for DD or are knickers adequate on their own??

OP posts:

SarahTancredi · 24/04/2019 14:04

See the leveller nonsense doesn't hold up at all.

15 pound a number in primary. I spent more on book bags jumpers and shoes than I did on any clothing shop I've ever done

It costs hundreds to kit out a secondary school child. All for clothes that cant be worn at any other time.

And if you dont think kids know who has money and who doesnt you are mistaken.

Unless kids are banned from talking about any extra curricular activities, holidays, parties, their parents Job's houses cars weddings etc

What those schools have a bullying problems. Not clothing problems.

SarahTancredi · 24/04/2019 14:12

Especially as they leave their pe kits at school too.

So you have to buy double the shoes every time they grow.

I have 2 kids. So every time their feet grows I have to buy a set of school shoes each plus 2 pairs of trainers. One for home one for school .

One has a long walk too and from school so cheap ballet pups wont do and the other is heavy footed so again no cheap shoes for her. I end up with 4 pairs of hardly worn trainers when and over 100 pounds of school shoes. When in fact I could just buy one pair of trainers each and be done.

QueenBlueberries · 24/04/2019 14:13

I have two boys so I am not sure if I have a right to an opinion on the subject, but if your DD wants to wear them and she would feel more able to move around freely, do high kicks and gymnastics in the playground, then let her. If she's happy just with knickers than that's fine as well.
I work in a secondary school and plenty of older girls wear short skirts with just knickers and yes, teachers and staff do see some knickers once in a while. It's no big deal. However if a child/teenager would feel more comfortable with wearing another layer underneath than it's fine too. I also absolutely hate the use of the word 'flashing their knickers' in my mind it does imply that they do this on purpose to get attention and it does have a sexual connotation. They don't 'flash' their underwear. THey are kids playing.

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 24/04/2019 14:19

'A flash of underwear' is very different to 'flashing your knickers.'

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 24/04/2019 14:20

** it was clear what was meant earlier.

WeepingWillowWeepingWino · 24/04/2019 14:29

Avocado if you think that uniform means that financial status is invisible you are living in lalaland.

We are middle class, degree educated - and are just as likely to dress DD in cheap stuff as anyone else. I'm not forking out £££ on stuff she'll grow out of or that will get knackered! £3 T shirts from H&M? - yes, please! She's still wearing shorts I bought her in a multipack from 2 years ago.

And I have never heard DD or her friends ever discuss what anyone else is wearing, or what it might have cost. Ever.

Whattodofgs · 24/04/2019 14:34

I would be going into school about that. How dare the teacher suggest to children they need to cover their pants.

Seriously? I have four Dc I try not to go into the school about trivial things. They won't take you seriously about more important things.

Does your child want shorts? Yes ... let her have them.

No... ok they aren't needed.

Does your child get teased about no shorts? Teach her what to do. Report to teacher and give her some comeback lines.

twosoups1972 · 24/04/2019 14:52

How ridiculous.

And the irony is that by making girls wear shorts it's making the problem worse as it becomes more of an issue if someone catches sight of a girl's knickers. If most girls wear shorts, then the odd one or two who don't expose their knickers inadvertantly really stand out and are liable to be teased. If everyone stopped getting hysterical about it and just let their daughters wear dresses with knickers and nothing else, then it's normalised even if a bit of underwear is on show for a split second.

Girls' cotton summer dresses are cool and comfortable in hot weather, all my dds wore them at primary school. If you put shorts underneath, it defeats the object! They'll get hot and sweaty.

thirdfiddle · 24/04/2019 15:20

Nobody feels like getting indignant about the poor boys being required to wear clothes that cover their undies? So if some of the boys decided they were too sweaty in shorts and played in their pants and vest, school shouldn't object? I mean, when I was a kid we were required to do PE in our knickers and vests, so it's even traditional.

englishdictionary · 24/04/2019 15:23

Seriously? I have four Dc I try not to go into the school about trivial things. They won't take you seriously about more important things.

So you having 4 DC makes you the decided of what is trivial?

No way. I would 100% be at the school if a teacher tried to tell my child she had to cover her underwear. It's not trivial. Teaching my DD's that they are not to blame is fucking vital.

PCohle · 24/04/2019 15:26

The school is the one requiring girls to wear clothing that makes showing their underwear possible when they take part in normal kids activities. They can't then complain about the consequences of that.

thirdfiddle · 24/04/2019 15:35

If they require them to also wear cycling shorts they wouldn't be pcohle would they? I'd also prefer they got rid of the dressessp everyone is on the same footing, but dress with leggings under is very common small girl wear in this day and age so I can't get the indignation if some schools request that. Or it seems some parents objecting to other people's children wearing it out of choice.

PCohle · 24/04/2019 15:41

That's obviously not the case in OP's situation though or she would have heard about white modesty shorts from the school's uniform list and not friends talking about what their daughters do.

Whattodofgs · 24/04/2019 16:06

Teaching my DD's that they are not to blame is fucking vital.

Blame for what? Who is blaming her?

This thread is like a parallel universe.

englishdictionary · 24/04/2019 16:13

No parallel universe. It's about how things progress.

5 year old girls do not need to consider (therefore take responsibility for, and a result the blame for) people seeing their underwear.

They just don't.

WeepingWillowWeepingWino · 24/04/2019 16:15

What there was a thread about these shorts a while back where a teacher or TA had dealt with boys' behaving badly in the playground because they could see the girls' knickers when they did handstands by telling the girls to put shorts on under their frocks. That is a clear example of girls being blamed for boys' bad behaviour and being told to alter their dress because of it. As far as I'm concerned, that is a direct line to 'she asked for it, she was wearing a short skirt/tight top/lacy thong'.

Whattodofgs · 24/04/2019 16:51

But that hasn't happened here. The op is asking does her Dd need them?

As far as I am concerned it depends on whether or not her Dd wants them.

If anything else happens then that's a different question.

PetrichorRain · 24/04/2019 20:40

As far as I'm concerned, that is a direct line to 'she asked for it, she was wearing a short skirt/tight top/lacy thong'.

I couldn’t agree more.

Cind91 · 25/04/2019 00:38

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

StarlightLady · 25/04/2019 04:34

This sounds over the top to me, but if a girl opts for shorts as her own choice, I don’t see a problem, but not to be told to.

As an adult I would not find it comfortable.

‘Long time ago now, but I’m sure I must have inadvertently flashed my knix from time to time when I was at school and it caused no harm to me or others.

MsMustDoBetter · 25/04/2019 05:28

My DD's wear shorts and a vest under their summer dresses on cooler days. W do it for warmth as thin cotton dresses aren't always the best for a British summer.

QueenBlueberries · 25/04/2019 08:24

I have never heard of secondary school girls forced to do PE in their knickers! Really?

SoupDragon · 25/04/2019 08:35

I have never heard of secondary school girls forced to do PE in their knickers!

Me neither. Or boys for that matter.

BastianBux · 25/04/2019 08:39

I usually wore trousers in primary, but when I did wear a Summer dress, I went for the long floaty ones that come down below my knee, rather than the more fitted/shorter ones. Didn't feel comfortable with my knickers showing in the shorter ones, whereas the longer ones felt much better. I also liked wearing Skorts rather than skirts at that age. As a teen, I also opted for shorts rather than skirts because I didn't want to sit cross-legged. Never wore shorts under my school-dress though.

BastianBux · 25/04/2019 08:41

but okay to make them do PE in their knickers if they haven't got their kit

That is not OK.

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