What to wear to school “culture day” if you are white British?

[Whatcanshe]

My 14 year old DD attends a large state school in North London. It has a high proportion of pupils who are Asian and black. Last year for the cultural day the Asian girls wore saris and a lot of the black girls wore traditional Nigerian dress.

My DD is white and last year just went in jeans but is worrying about what to wear to this event on the last day of term. I have no idea what to suggest. We are not Irish or Scottish so can’t for eg wear a kilt.

I wish schools wouldn’t do this as it’s just a nightmare for some kids who don’t know what to wear. I know she is going to beg me to have the day off rather than have the worry of it all.

Any ideas as to what she could wear?

She's fine in jeans.

Tell her to ask her friends what they are wearing.

Don't turn this into a drama. It is not a big deal as your DD's regular clothes are allowed.

I went to a conference dinner (abroad) where we were asked to wear National Dress. I simply wore a Union Jack scarf and carried a Union Jack bag teamed with a plain black dress. Perhaps you could buy up some left over Coronation tat?

@RedRum27 yes when these issues have come up I use it as an opportunity to help my children celebrate that they grow up with religious freedom. They are generally very happy we are not religious, especially when they see how much religion controls their friends lives. I also do let them know that the majority of people in the UK are non religious so their circumstances are unusual. I generally love the school and where we live but like for everyone being in a minority in particular circumstances has challenges. I grew up similar so understand my children’s experience.

Sorry OP don’t want to derail your thread, I can wholeheartedly sympathise with the situation.

“I also do let them know that the majority of people in the UK are non religious so their circumstances are unusual.”

Actually this is not accurate @Vintageteatowel - you need to google the latest census results.

Our school have said that English children are only allowed to wear school uniform and can’t wear anything to participate 😢my son is very sad about the whole thing, such a shame as his friends will all be able to dress up.

Really? Is that what the school actually said?

England football kit? That's popular with the white English kids on culture day at our school. My (also white British) kids just wear whatever they fancy though.

A spice girls t shirt and some adidas poppers

Realise this is an old thread but I don't understand why it has to be from the child's own culture only? I don't see what is wrong with them wearing something from another culture they like?

@whythewait I think your child maybe misunderstood what they were told. It would be discrimination to say children of a certain culture or nationality couldn't participate.

Honestly she can just wear like an England football top or something with the UK flag on it, like a jumper. Or if she’s feeling brave, maybe one of her friends could match with her and be like tea and biscuits or fish & chips.

@alicelsc this thread is from 18 months ago.
You're a bit late 😂
ZOMBIE THREAD FOLKS

I dressed DS as Suggs for his last year!

I used to work in a school. I have worn a Welsh rugby shirt on previous culture days. Some of English colleagues wore England football shirts

Edit: Just realised this thread has been resurrected after 18 months!

Agree, this is very discriminatory
or @whythewait maybe they heard what they wanted to hear.

🤣🤣🤣🤣
Well spotted.
Wonder if @Whatcanshe will come back and tell us what she wore

Schools REALLY should not be doing this. It is not educational, it teaches nothing, it hypes the kids up, it creates a burden for parents, it is a real minefield which could embarrass, annoy or offend many students….for no bloody reason. We all know what a flipping sari looks like already.

The UK edu system has this really bizarre obsession with “dressing up” and it needs to stop.

We’ve got International Days at my kids school and it’s so easy if you’re British. Good excuse to buy a well-tailored suit for the boys or a period-film type dress for the girls. Flat cap and tweeds if that’s to your liking.

My kids are half-American so we like to do flannels and overalls/jeans type stuff.

Haven’t had the guts to have them wear a Revolutionary War style uniform, could be divisive 🤭

At the end of the day, it’s all costume-y since many people have abandoned their traditional national dress anyway, sadly.

Red/white and blue?

I remember on the news a few years ago there was a celebration on tv - possibly a 'Royal' thing and I saw a few muslim girls wearing union jack head scarves which I thought was lovely!

I went to a conference where they did this for the dinner. I wore a Union Jack scarf and carried a Union Jack bag. Could she wear red white and blue?

I just realised this is an old thread but for anyone facing similar:

If she's most concerned about others picking on her, I would help her plan to wear whatever she feels most confident in, no matter how tenuous the link to culture. I would prioritise her need over the schools, especially as she's at such a sensitive age.

You could help her come up with a stock phrase to explain her choice so she feels prepared to answer any questions from teachers etc in discussion about the costumes.

Or dress really badly, as most of Europe believes we do 😁

Blimey, what a miserable take on it. The kids love it at our school. They have children from over 100 countries and it's amazing to see them dressed in their traditional clothes. It's a celebration of all cultures, including British. My daughter is half Indian and really enjoys putting on a sari and some Indian jewellery. She doesn't get many opportunities to wear her Indian clothes.

Brownies
Morris dancer
Farmer
Queen
Guy Fawkes

These events are to celebrate young people whose cultures are often mocked or not supported. Don’t let her have the day off and miss out on her friends outfits as that’s a bit selfish. She can wear a lovely well cut suit as someone suggested or her favourite sports kit or dress in her favourite music album or song. Encourage her to support her friends whose outfits will mean something really special to them.