Another school uniform one! Girls being forced to wear dresses?

[Wanderlust1984]

My DD's school have sent a letter out stating 'girls must wear skirts or dresses' - 1950s much?? Surely this is ridiculous and shouldn't be mandated? Or AIBU?

Something can be illegal but not criminal.

I'm not a fucking feminist ffs

Erm... it's not a bad thing.

My 18 year old son identifies as a feminist.

Elizabeth, your post made me laugh out loud Probably not the reaction you were aiming for but thanks for the laugh in any case love 😂

Elizabeth is making a very valid point though. On what basis are you bothered by it if you're not a feminist?

trousersforall.co.uk/

My DD is furious - her new secondary skirt has to be bought from the uniform shop and be below the knee. It's made from some super stiff heavy material with pleats that mean she can barely walk let alone run.

Because it's not a feminist issue? It's a uniform issue. I'd be annoyed at work if they forced a skirt on me, likewise would the trans fella I work with if he was told to NOT wear skirts!

If it were up to me I'd make it that Ofsted marks down any schools that fail to offer equality in uniform i.e. the uniform is skirts or trousers and boys and girls get to choose whether they wear a skirt or trousers. Also they would mark down any school that has stupid uniform rules or forces parents to buy them from expensive suppliers.

There would be some fucking quick policy changes from certain academy trusts, that's for sure.

What's wrong with being a fucking feminist?

There is nothing wrong with being a feminist, the op isn't one though. Personally I'd prefer it we didn't claim anyone who isn't Jeremy cmarkson is a feminist. For example I don't think an 18 year old boy can be a feminist.

If we can all agree that this is an important issue maybe we should not derail the conversation so the op can help her daughter and all the other future feminists there.

Wanderlust - what's the problem with the uniform though? Why shouldn't girls or women be required to wear skirts?

Because it's not a feminist issue? It's a uniform issue

Why the 1950s comment then?

The reason women are allowed to wear trousers in the workplace, and the reason they are allowed in the workplace at all, is feminism.

School set rules, they are the rules. Life is full of rules that you might not necessarily like but they teach kids that we can't always have what we want in life

I prefer to teach my children to not unthinkingly accept rules that stop them from having what they want in life based on their vaginas. Crazy I know.

I don't think an 18 year old boy can be a feminist

Why not?

Why shouldn't girls or women be required to wear skirts?

Why should they?

Elizabeth, why should they?

I hate the comment: "If you don't like the uniform, don't send her to the school." Does everyone have a choice of 10 different wonderful primaries within walking distance and not oversubscribed?

If we had:
An old fashioned strict primary with strict uniform
A Summerhill (with no uniform)
A school where kids learn outside, grow their own food, and join in with the local community (with no uniform)
A bilingual school where kids speak Spanish for half the day (with no uniform)
A school where everyone does sport every day (with no uniform)
A school with specialist music, art and theatre teachers (with no uniform)
etc etc

I could understand the comment that parents who don't like sexist and restrictive uniforms shouldn't have chosen the first school.

Lots of us have one choice of school, some people have a couple of choices, but the one with less restrictive uniform might be miles away (or not very good, though, in my limited experience, schools without uniform seem too be better schools on the whole).

Every school in my area (primary and secondary) offers girls the choice of trousers or skirts. Most girls choose the dress/skirt option but some choose trousers. Some girls prefer trousers because they are comfortable, because they don't like tights, because of their religion, because they are active, who knows, who cares. Just give them the choice.

I don't believe men can be feminists. I think an 18 year old male has even less insight. He can "identify" as one if he likes, Everyone seems to now adays. It doesn't mean anything and I wish we'd stop trying to water down feminism.

Because it's not a feminist issue?

Girls are being treated differently to boys.
Girls' uniform rules hinder them more than boys.
Ergo it is a feminist issue. I don't see how you can possibly think it isn't?

Would you like to be discriminated against because you are female? Paid less? Catcalled in the street?
If not, you are by definition a feminist. Sorry if that offends you.

Whatever, label me what you want but it's totally beside the point. I'm on about a fucking skirt, not trying to be Joan of arc here

Oh and if you believe in gender equality you are a feminist, that is the literal definition of the word.

Trump thinks he believes in gender equality, is he a feminist?

OP just take your kids out of that school and send them somewhere that doesn't care. I think they and you would get on better there.

Personally, I love the discipline that my children get at school. Fortunately all of the other parents there seem to feel the same, so there are no militant ones causing problems.

I'm not offended ffs, it's just not really relevant?

"School set rules, they are the rules. Life is full of rules that you might not necessarily like but they teach kids that we can't always have what we want in life"

The point is that what kids are being taught is that it's fine for there to be one rule for boys, and one rule for girls. Why would I want my kids to learn to accept that?