Letter re banning school skirts

[spottedinthewilds]

Has anyone here written a letter to their school regarding banning of school skirts?

Our school have not yet banned school skirts that appear to be disguising this ban by offering different school uniform options. Most of which do not have a skirt option.

I have quite strong feelings against this as I feel that as a school educating young people they should be concentrating on educating their pupils about misogyny and the reasons why they feel school skirt should be banned.

Without wishing to dive into a trans debate, I feel that the trans issue is already eroding women's rights and feel that this is just another step in the wrong direction.

I agree that I am not the best person to word this letter well and wondered whether anyone here has written a similar letter to their school regarding this issue.

If so, would you be kind enough to share all or part of it with me so that I can put together something that I feel makes my point?

I don't think skirts are appropriate school uniform for anyone. Girls should be dressed to be active and have free movement at school. Trousers are much more practical.

I think uniform should just be uniform. I think it would go a long way to subduing the gender mania that starts even in primary school.

Like... A uniform?

Schools that have uniforms should have a rule about the length of skirts.

If a girl shows up in a skirt that is shorter than that, it should be addressed in the same way as if she'd turned up in tiny shorts, a tracksuit, a ballgown, or any other non-uniform outfit.

Punishing other girls who just want to wear a skirt of a reasonable length to school by taking away that option entirely is not a fair solution.

Lack of self worth based on clothing is so very sad - you need to take confidence from your capabilities not your appearance - we need to teach girls better

Most offices have dress codes and mini skirts aren't allowed. Shorts aren't either by men or women.

I can see why the schools are banning skirts because they are worn very, very short these days!
If they banned uniform altogether, most girls would probably wear baggy jeans!

Based on the girls around here, it's a good idea to insist on full length black trousers. Every week when I'm volunteering inna charity shop I see hundreds of kids walk past and I can't unsee being flashed not only their knickers but thongs! This isn't about misogyny it's about learning to wear clothing appropriate to an occasion and in a professional or school environment, skirts too short to cover your underwear is inappropriate!

I would prefer schools encouraged a the same uniform for girls and boys, trousers in winter, shorts in summer.

Skirts are problematic, primarily because they don't give girls as much freedom of movement as boys. I remember it always being a pain at school to make sure it wasn't tucked in my knickers, or flashing knickers when sitting on the floor during assemblies or at break time. Using play equipment at break time was tricky and some girls used to wear cycling shorts underneath.

I was in favour of trousers for girls when I was at school +20 years ago as the rules seemed sexier then, so even more in favour now.

@SanFranByAir

Don't be so sure. My dcs school had no uniform (14-18 school) and it was a fashion parade of designer brands and the school had to bring in rules on skirt/shorts length and tops not being cropped/no strapless or spaghetti straps etc as it was a free for all with club wear being worn

My kids go to a an all girls
School. There is one option for trousers and they are hideously unflattering for pretty much all the girls. Pretty much the only ones that wear them do so for religious reasons.

From halfway in y7 they all wear the skirts around their arses with Nike pros underneath.

I don't wear trousers for work. I've got a fat belly, skinny waist and no arse. Most look awful on me so I wear dresses or skirts.

I don't think skirts should be taken away as an option.

Excellent news.

I absolutely loathed wearing a skirt to school and haven't worn one since (33 years on).

@MrsPeregrine some offices do have dress codes.
Presumably no one who works in an office can wear a t-shirt that says "I love Hitler", a clown suit or nothing but a bikini. So a simple rule of "skirts must cover your arse" I would assume is normal in most office jobs.

Because it isn't appropriate in the environment.

We should be asking why it isn't appropriate. It's just a skirt. Generally, the skirt isn't the issue here.

Yes l would agree with this is their reason. My dd's school has the same issue but they haven't banned skirts yet although l know of another school nearby that has

Yes. That’s the idea of uniform - to stop fashion shows and competitiveness through the wearing by some of expensive fashion brands. They can wear whatever they like out of school.

Make it simple. Let girls wear skirts or trousers. Let boys wear skirts or trousers.

My DD would have hated wearing trousers, as would I. They are generally hideously unflattering. I've not worn trousers in decades.

People may think skirts are inappropriate or problematic (I think that's more puritan opinion that fact) but I don't think skirts should be banned on that basis.

@MrsPeregrine "newsflash - not all skirts are short"

I didn't require a condescending BBC breaking news alert to know that. My response was specifically in relation to short skirts and I made that clear. It was in response to OP asking why girls shouldn't wear short skirts if they want to.

I have no issue at all with girls wearing skirts of an appropriate length to school. If a school has a repeated issue with girls shortening their skirts, the most practical way to solve this is to ban skirts all together. By taking an individualistic approach, you put teachers (especially male teachers) in an uncomfortable position of having to police skirt length themselves.

If they are trying to insist on a particular design what's the betting that the cut will be for boys not girls?

Skirts weren't banned in the 1980s when we were rolling them up.

It has come to something that it seemed an idyllic tolerant age compared to now. Uniform was only optional at primary school.

The sooner all these academy trusts are discredited and broken up, the better.

Schools need to start again from scratch. With no uniforms, ever.

Consider all the perverts girls will pass on their way to and from school. They won't be being educated about misogyny will they?
Shirt skirts are worn to seek attention from the boys. They are not practical and just causes issues for teachers who better things to do with their valuable time.
I personally would ban skirts from school uniforms.

But what happens if, after the skirt ban, the same girls who wore skirts that were too short now wear trousers that are inappropriately tight and form-fitting? How does that get policed? Especially when a pair of trousers that are fine on a slimmer girl might look inappropriate on a larger one?

Short skirts are worn to seek attention from the boys.

No they aren't. It happens in all girls schools as well. It's fashion, wanting to feel a bit grown up and a small act of rebellion.

Why would it be more of a problem if a girl wore tight trousers than a boy?

Consider all the perverts girls will pass on their way to and from school. They won't be being educated about misogyny will they?
Shirt skirts are worn to seek attention from the boys. They are not practical and just causes issues for teachers who better things to do with their valuable time.

Again, the problem there is the perverts, not the girl wearing the skirt. Also, I don't for one minute think there are "ALL the perverts" FFS

I wear short skirts, I can tell you I do it because they suit and flatter me, not for male attention.

Some of the short skirts are ridiculous though. I’ve seen them barely skimming their bum. I wouldn’t allow that in a school (or a workplace).

I have no desire to abuse or harass a short skirted person but it’s just not appropriate to be showing your knickers.

@CandiedPrincess how short do you wear them.
Can people see your knickers?

@CandiedPrincess A skirt isn't inappropriate. A short skirt barely covering a child's arse is inappropriate in a learning environment. It would also be inappropriate for a teacher to roll her skirt up and flash her knickers every time she raises her arms.

Perhaps we should be questioning why children are so keen to wear such revealing clothes.