To think that this 6th Form Dress Code is wrong.

[alistron1]

DD1's 6th Form has a strict dress code of business/office wear. They have to look smart - which is fine.

This week it's been really hot, yesterday DD1 wore 'bare legs' with her very modest skirt suit. She got told off - initially for wearing flesh coloured tights (tights should be black) and was referred to the dress code which she brought home for me to read.

It contains this line:

"This is a mixed environment with particular implications for the way in which female students should dress."

AIBU to complain about this statement?

[littlemisswise]

I just read the statement to DS1(18). He said it could have 2 meanings.

1. the school thinks very little of their male students.
   
   
2. the school thinks very little of their male teachers and employees.

[FamiliesShareGerms]

I wear "flesh coloured tights" most days to my rather formal office, and have yet to see any "implications"...

OP, YANBU at all. I sincerely hope that this is just a poorly thought through statement, when what they meant to say is something like " we expect high standards of dress and will send home any student who we judge is inappropriately attired. This will include students wearing tight or revealing clothing. In very hot weather students may have bare legs and remove their ties, but at all other times the formal dress code must be followed."

Otherwise they may as well ask female students to wear a burkha

[DoJo]

It's particularly ridiculous given that most schools still seem to have a PE uniform which is barely there for girls (or perhaps just the ones near me) where they are basically wearing a pair of coloured pants to run around in. I had a similar row when I was at school that I had to wear tights all day, but then wasn't allowed to wear tracksuit bottoms for games. Didn't work, but I would have hoped things would have moved on by now...

[sittinginthesun]

I know we've find this a million times on here, but I work in a law firm, and I've been bare legged since end July.

My DH is a lawyer, in house, in large international City company. He hasn't worn a tie for weeks. His female colleagues vary from tights, trousers, to bare legs.

I watch the local 6 form walk to school, and their "smart office wear" looks hugely out of place. Surely they are training to be "students" anyway.

[merrymouse]

Are 16/17/18 year old boys generally distracted by flesh coloured tights in 2013?

[pointythings]

I hate the whole business dress in 6th form anyway. When they go to university they will slob around in jeans, and after that they will get jobs and adapt to whatever is needed in their work environment. These are 6th formers, they are supposed to be intelligent enough not to need 'preparing for the world of work'. Patronising bullshit.

DD1's school has no uniform for 6th formers - they suggest business dress but it is not mandatory, nor is it defined. The only things not allowed are ripped denim and T-shirts with slogans.

In practice if you want to be a prefect you should wear the drone suit, but most people don't bother. And quite right too.

I work in an office. We are all female, and no-one was wearing tights because we are not insane, and nor are the people who employ us.

[alistron1]

In 1990 when I was a 6th former flesh coloured tights were social death!

[AlyssB]

I work in an office in a very male orientated warehouse and am often on the shop floor in bare legs or nude tights and have yet to experience any 'implications'.....

[Ezio]

I was in 6th form, in 2000, you could wear what you pleased, people still did well.

[foslady]

Actually the more I think about it, the more i would be asking the school for clarification on what their statement meant? If they were implying that such things as nude colour tights are implying the sexualisation of their female pupils, maybe they should be offering training for staff and pupils about the equality of women in modern society.

[alistron1]

I have asked for clarification - I'll be interested to see the response. Wish I had included the thing about staff/student training.

[sarahtigh]

bare legs maybe ok with trousers or very long skirt dress but I do not think bare legs with an above knee skirt is business attire though really can't see the objection to nude/ beige tights the comment about girls and appropriateness was out of order

if they had just said bare legs with skirt suits is not business dress it would have been ok

[marriedinwhiteisback]

At my school there were two concessions for 6th form: flesh coloured tights (instead of beige socks) and a regulation cardigan instead of a jumper. [Grin]

The girls jumping on dd's school bus this morning looked lovely in their business suits and bare legs (convent). Aren't black tights sexy any more then?

Tries to wipe vision of hully in fishnets and stilletoes(sp?) from mind - keeps smiling

[OhDearNigel]

Blimey. If the royal family are able to go out with leg-coloured legs then surely the rest of the country can follow suit.
Unless, of course, we're all confused and OP's teen daughter acually attends 6th form in Riyadh...

[Jengnr]

The first thing I'd be asking is for them to spell out, in writing, EXACTLY what these implications are.

Then I'd be onto Everyday Sexism for advice.

[ShadowSummer]

The wording of the school's statement seems odd. What exactly is a mixed environment, anyway?

Incidentally, the dress code in my office requires employees to dress professionally. Flesh coloured tights are considered acceptable items of clothing, despite most of the employees being male.

[Talkinpeace]

TBH Op, I looked up the quote because I thought you were a friend of mine talking about her DDs school which has a similar - but less sexist 6th form dress code.
Girls .... Tights should always be worn and be in good condition etc
Boys .... Dark suits should be worn at all times etc

[bsc]

I am someone who believes legs should not be bare in a professional environment... but nude tights are perfectly acceptable!

But that statement is downright wrong.

It is perfectly acceptable to place at the top/bottom of the page "dress should be modest, as befits a working environment" etc etc, i.e. applying to pupils of both genders, but not to single out the females in this way.

I do think 6th forms should have dress codes- it's very annoying to spend large parts of one's day seeing people's underwear (through their backless tops, and their see-through bloody vile leggings, or over their jeans-around-their-ankles!)

I do not wish to see children's underwear, thank you very much (I see enough of my own DC's No DS, I do not want to wipe your bottom for you )

[bsc]

And, I presume they mention the 'mixed environment' because it actually used to be single sex school.

[NadiaWadia]

I am glad that DD's last school (year 10-13) only had one 'dress code': beach wear and T shirts with offensive slogans not allowed. Otherwise they could wear anything.

The school got the best A level results in the county, so that shows how ridiculous it is to get so worked about what teenagers wear while they are at school. It's funny that in most countries in Europe school uniform is unheard of, and yet don't they get better results than in the UK?

[StuntGirl]

Good grief. What century was this written in?

[breatheslowly]

What a strange thing to say.

I have worked in loads of offices and can't think of one where the men wore ties and the women had to be dressed to an equivalent level of formality. And most offices are air conditioned whereas most schools aren't. Thinking about the implications of tights in this weather makes me think of thrush .

We wore whatever we wanted in 6th form and it really didn't do any harm. I do remember an assembly announcement which basically said "it's cold, you might want to wear longer skirts".

[5madthings]

fucking hell i would be having a fit at that.

totally innappropriate!

they need pulling up on that.

oh and trousers/tights for whoever saud poor boys... well trousers at least allow air to circulate, they are looser and if cotton then cooler. tights are awful in hot weather.

bare legs is fine.

[firefly78]

Kids have to wear suits to sixth form?? That is absolutely crazy. When did that start happening?

[BasilBabyEater]

Everyday Sexism.

Send it to them.

This sort of shit has got to go.