Girls at DD’s school cannot wear socks because men and boys feel uncomfortable

[Eastie77Returns]

DD’s school has placed a ban on girls wearing socks due to persistent issues with girls wearing skirts that are too short and not the school’s regulation kilts. According to the e-mail sent to parents, girls wearing socks with said short skirts has resulted in some “members of the school community” feeling uncomfortable. When the issue was raised further by some parents, the (male) Deputy made it clear that it was essentially unfair to male pupils, and presumably teachers, to be made to feel awkward when girls undergarments were visible to them. There have also been issues with boys making suggestive comments to girls in short skirts.

I support the school enforcing school uniform policy but hate the fact that 12 year old DD and her friends are already being policed as to what they can or cannot wear because…men. DD hates the thick black tights she now has to wear. She always wore the correct length skirt and knee high socks.

The situation will apparently be reviewed ahead of the warmer months. I just feel this reinforces the view that girls & women need to ensure they dress in a way that doesn’t attract male attention but boys are not learning that inappropriate comments and behaviour towards a girl because of the way she dresses is completely unacceptable.

I think posters are missing which part of the bare leg is on show. Usually, it's the part of the leg commonly referred to as the 'arse cheeks' to knee. Then a knee sock rolled up.

Like we used to wear as students in uni, on back2skool nights. A la Britney.

Flamed? There is need for more of you, lady. This country is thick to stupid beyond stupid. When decency and respectful attire became mysoginy

I did the opposite almost 60 years ago. I'd arrive at school in my mini skirt and roll the waist band down so that m6 skirt was just below my knees then I'd roll it up again at home time to look trendy. I wore knee high socks too! I thought I was the bees knees in my "fanny pelmet" 😂

ok, so men and boys won't get aroused by bum cheeks and nice long legs....but the issue is only the rolled sock?

@rainbowsandraspberrygin you are so right!! At school in the 70s the only thing the girls talked about was boys, have you snogged anyone? Have you "done it"? What was it like? Constantly!!
At least back then nobody came into school with their arse hanging out (they would be marched straight out again)

Our headteacher (although it was back in the 90s) used to do spot checks around the school on skirt lengths and it was very much policed by her! And this was an all girls school.

yeah, tralalalalalalaaa misus

What about a "skort" .....it's a skirt but keeps your undies under cover

Yes they are!

All schools should have trousers as the uniform and not skirts at all.

When would you like me to do this? While I'm teaching? And when the girls in question don't go to detention? Shall I phone their parents while I'm teaching?

I get 2 free periods (2 hours) a week to run a whole department, plan lessons for year 7 up to year 13, mark the work of 300 kids, set homework and exams, respond to parents, sort out safeguarding concerns and help to protect very vulnerable children, do all the admin, etc. I get that you're daughter doesn't like tights and doesn't want to wear trousers. But seriously?

Why?

Read the thread!!

👏 👏

This.

This is my worry. I want teachers teaching my kids and staying sane in a hard job. Not having to police uniform.

The shortness of so many school girls skirts is beyond acceptable. I see it on the school run all the time along with carrying handbags (why?) and wearing heavy make up. Since we’re in a teaching crisis (likely to get worse as the government restricts visas to overseas teachers we rely on…while our teachers leave for Dubai etc where they are properly paid) I don’t know what schools and teachers can do to instill discipline so that they can teach and children can learn.

You’re very lucky that it’s only about 50 girls who are doing it as most girls seem to roll their skirts up to tiny proportions here.
When I was looking around the high schools during the school day when our eldest was due to go a few years ago, I followed a girl up the stairs whose skirt was so short I could see her underwear and wings of a sanitary towel, I wasn’t looking up skirts but due to the positioning on the stairs I could see everything!
The Mum in me wanted to pull her to one side and let her know but it was none of my business and very tricky to do it when part of a school tour.
When dropping ours to school most girls seem to roll their skirts when they’ve left home, unless they are just super short and their parents don’t say anything.
People should be able to wear what they like to some extent but if I went to work with a miniskirt on and my knickers on display my female boss would have something to say about it.
I don’t understand why the secondary schools stick with the kilts, it must be fairly easy to create a gender neutral (ish) uniform so that no one feels uncomfortable. Trousers and blazers in winter and shorts/skorts in summer, with a polo shirt instead of blazer/shirt/tie combo that they seem to have to suffer with all year around currently.
One of mine is going to have abit of a shock when he starts secondary school in Sept, he’s only ever worn school shorts and never trousers. He will only be allowed to wear shorts for the Summer term as per the school rules.
Our eldest was slowly melting last year in the summer until they gave permission to wear pe kits instead of the usual uniforms. He came home everyday moaning that staff were in tailored shorts and short sleeved shirts/summer dresses and the students were in long sleeved shirts, ties and trousers.

Then they should be sent home.

It's getting warmer too, so it'll be orange legs soon.

Lots of schools let kids wear pe kits all day on pe days. I don't even really notice the difference anymore. In fact, I think they actually look more gender neutral when they're in their shapeless, baggy pe kits. There's absolutely no way anyone can try to look sexy in a modern school pe kit, so maybe that's the way forward.

I don’t see why girls can’t just wear trousers in this day and age, it’s not like they don’t wear jeans when they leave school.

OMG just put everyone in trousers!! There was a time when women couldn’t even wear trousers and forced to wear skirts!

I think I agree with this.
or the skirts should be much much longer so cannot be rolled - eg mid calf.

This exactly! I went to an all girls school in the 00s and we all rolled our skirts up and so on. But in PE we had to wear gym knickers! Out on the playing field. We had to really fight to be allowed to wear shorts or trousers.

OP I agree with your points re the social issues on policing a women’s outfit. I just think in this situation context is key- we are talking about a school environment, with a large number of adolescent teens. I agree the deputies reasons are off but it seems like you are almost comparing apples and pears.

I'd send DD in socks (assuming she's happy to make a stand) and tell them that their policy is discriminatory - do boys have to wear hot, uncomfortable tights? - that the language in the message was sexist and that until they enforce thw dress code appropriately by penalising those that break the rules by shortening skirts rather than all girls DD will be in her socks.

In reality I suspect DD would be uncomfortable so would instead suggest banding together with other parents to make a massive complaint about the disgusting sexist language in the letter and that the policy is a disgrace. Hopefully they will overturn it. Why not have some ugly trousers stored in school that those girls breaking the rules by shortening their skirts are made to wear? I don't imagine they would keep doing it (at least pn school premises) if that was the result.

Although OP i do have to say I disagree with your premise that them wearing short skirts (or you and your colleagues wearing revealing clothing yo work) is in any way acceptable. There is a level of professsional standard applicable at work and which schools emulate. You should be following that professional standard. Maybe the guy you mentioned who commented on your clothing was a prude. But maybe he was actually right and trying to enforce basic respect for the workplace. Would you want to see a doctor with a tank top and a very visible g-string sticking out the top of their scrubs? I wouldn't- they are perfectly entitled to wear whatever underwear they like. But wearing the uniform appropriately not sloppily is a sign of a commitment to meeting standards (or not).