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?

I went to girls schools growing up and skirts/dresses were the only options available-I really don't see the problem.

It's just that you seemed to get very angry very quickly on this thread OP, doe no obvious reason.

Fuck feminism. Tell your daughter to get used to feeling self consious and being subject to different rules and having to dress how she's told.

Are we going backwards or something?
Women started to wear trousers back in the 2nd world war, and now girls are being forced back into wearing skirts again. WTF?

As I say, I'm not angry at the school, it's a fabulous school. This issue just confuses me.my daughter outright refuses to wear tights as she finds them incredibly uncomfortable (I'm the same), just wanted to get opinions before I go and talk to the head (who I get on with very well, both in and out of school)

Probably come across that way as I get very fucking sweary. I'll work on it

Well good luck with it 🙂

Being pally with the head is an excellent starting point, so start with an informal chat about the reasoning behind not allowing girls to wear trousers in this day and age. If he gives you guff about looking smart point out that the boys manage it. Then throw in how studies have pointed out how girls are less active from a young age in part because of the clothing restrictions imposed upon them.

I'd be interested in how s/he justifies this.

Exactly who wants equality in a capitalist white supremacist patriarchy? Burn the whole thing to the ground grin

Well you're always onto a loser fighting against something that doesn't exist.

This thread is bizarre! OP YWNBU to question this uniform rule. It is sexist. If there is a legitimate reason why girls must wear skirts whilst boys can wear trousers, then I'd like to hear it. I can't think of any.

Blimey, my secondary school 35 years ago realised that girls get cold legs too, and allowed us to wear trousers in winter.

Course we all know that the next letters sent home will all be about how girls are hoiking their skirts up so they show their knickers and offending male teachers and distracting the boys.

Do you have to be a feminist to care if little girls feel comfortable?

Yes. If you care about little girls feeling comfortable, and follow that line of thought, you will inevitably end up becoming a feminist.

FGM, sexual violence, beauty ideals that require girls to completely alter their natural bodies ... it is all very uncomfortable, isn't it? I mean, most of it is worse than uncomfortable, but it is also uncomfortable.

To all those who say "You knew the rules!", you know damn well that to ordinary people, there's no unlimited choice between schools to send their daughters to. So, would you prefer if a) British women aborted female fetuses to prevent their daughters from being forced to wear skirts b) just didn't have any children anymore c) just shrug and not send their daughters to any school whatsoever, resulting in having the child taken away and placed in foster care and THEN being forced to wear a skirt for school?, or d) do you want all girls who don't want to wear skirts given testosterone, having their breasts chopped off and forced to use the boy's changing room, boy's showers and boy's toilets?

Those are the options you get.

Which of them do you prefer?

Or does it, now that you think about it, appear like a better idea to just sue the school for being sexist?

Yes. If you care about little girls feeling comfortable, and follow that line of thought, you will inevitably end up becoming a feminist.

So you'd call liberal feminists and Everyday feminism feminist then? I'm sure both would agree children should be allowed to wear whatever clothes they want.

seems unfair to me! at my work for example you have a choice of dress or trousers and tunic. i have never will never chose the dress option. i find them uncomfortable and make me more physically self conscious. i absolutely get the theres a uniform that must be followed but can see absolutely no reason why that uniform cannot allow the girls the option of trousers i.e. to match the boys. so its till following school style and colour etc but does not force girls into skirts/dresses if they do not wish to wear them.

i remember back in secondary school it was my 4th year before girls were allowed to wear trousers and it had taken years of fighting (basically for equal rights) before it was agreed!

pathetic that 2 decades later its still an issue!

I would love to know if these schools that are, in 2017, not allowing girls to wear trousers have always been an island of sexism, or if they have suddenly decided to return to the 1970s?

In terms of practical steps, a chat to the head is a good place to start. I would follow that up with a letter/email covering the points you raised, and CC the chair of governors. Your governing body should also have an Equalities governor - include them as well.

Look at the threads linked earlier - lots of good ideas about how to state your case. Offer some suggestions also eg a survey of parents, a phased introduction etc so you demonstrate compromise. If the issue is 'being smart' perhaps reference the type of shirts they wear or ties as being a better tool for improving the look of the uniform.

Try not to make it all about 'being old fashioned' (although it is) - couch your argument in specific terms of comfort (sitting on the floor), health (tight and thrush, older girls and periods), activity levels, weather. Point out nearby schools with unisex uniform if applicable.

I'm the equalities governor at my local primary school and we recently removed all gendered language from the uniform policy - now we just have a list of acceptable items of clothing and students can choose. But I did have to push for it.

There does seem to be a return of creeping sexism in schools. For several years, this sort of shit has been on the rise - it's tied in with the rise of academy chains and 'free schools' run by idiots who either want to impose their horrible ideas on children or simply line their own pockets. So you get more and more stupidly expensive, ugly and impractical uniforms, more punishments and ridiculous rules - and I honestly think that, if we don't get a big change soon, there will be a drive to bring back physical punishment of children. Because the country is being run by vicious morons who have no idea what they are doing and, when it comes to education, are harking back to some sort of 'golden age' when the poor knew their place and everything was about rigid conformity.

I buy leggings for my daughter to wear under her skirts instead of tights. You can get some online same colour as the tights. Not sure anyone would notice. No one has complained to me yet!

I would love to know if these schools that are, in 2017, not allowing girls to wear trousers have always been an island of sexism, or if they have suddenly decided to return to the 1970s?

In my area girls aren't allowed to wear trousers at secondary school. But I'm in N Ireland so we haven't even reached the 70s yet, never mind returned to them. I know loads of adult women whose husbands/church don't even allow them to wear trousers, so school uniforms are unlikely to change here any time soon.

"I buy leggings for my daughter to wear under her skirts instead of tights. You can get some online same colour as the tights. Not sure anyone would notice. No one has complained to me yet!"

So she wears leggings in summer for "modesty"

This is as wrong as the school who have decided that both boys and girls must wear trousers on the grounds on being gender neutral. Either way it is girls choice being taken away and dictated to.

Cath at one of the secondary schools round here, girls have to wear black tights all year round with the compulsory thick, knee length school branded skirts. Leggings not allowed. This is new uniform brought in sept 2017.

Why do people assume some have the choice what secondary school you get to send your dc to? In my area there are 2 secondary schools, both of which impose the wearing a skirt rule. You haven't a hope in hell of getting into a different school unless you move into catchment and not everyone can afford to just move. Even then I think most secondary schools nowadays seem to have this idea that teenage girls want to wear a tartan/checked style skirt

If you have a dd who happily wears skirts then good for you. My dd has never liked dresses or skirts since she was very little and hated tights because they are uncomfortable she says. So I get the battle of making her wear a skirt and possibly tights when she starts secondary school. Great.

Alcapalypse .

I am most hugely missing the point here but - I bought two electric toothbrushes for DH and DS. They were pink - I think they had been a special thing for charity & being sold off. . But they were £16.99 each instead of the thick end of £100. They both use them now and don't even think to comment. Not sure where that puts me but toothbrush / pink I suppose I just bunged up and commented.

Oh and this , like a pp , I do not believe "For example I don't think an 18 year old boy can be a feminist. "