Short school skirts

[Kteeb1]

AIBU to think the reason given to me for girls not wearing skirts at school is worrying? So just been called by the school. Apparently all parents have been because girls skirts are very short and it's against school policy. I can only assume the little tyke (13) is rolling her school skirt up because it's not short when she leaves the house and ill sort it when she gets in, but I am concerned with what the female teacher said to me. The reason why the girls skirts shouldn't be short is because male teachers and other boys may feel uncomfortable. Also out of school grounds the girls might be attacked. And young girls must learn to protect their dignity. I have no problem with a uniform and following it, but if male teachers are uncomfortable in seeing a 13 year old with a short skirt, should they really be teaching? And why are we saying what a person wears means they may be attacked. I did ask if any girls had been attacked and I didn't get an answer. I just think it's a really bad message that girls have to change what they wear for those reasons.

Wow, this must be a keeping up,with the Jones' type thing in other areas. I work next to a secondary school and the girls roll their skirts up, but only to the length shown in the Aussie pics. I have never seen any girls from any of the 5 secondaries in my town wear their skirts even shorter.

@GuyFawkesDay

My DD has the playsuit shorts style "summer dress". So much better for her. Wish they'd been around when I was a kid.

Agree totally the fact that it's the done thing to show off your body to the point of indecency is worrying. Welcome to the world where many girls seem to think they should live up to "Instagram" lifestyles and standards which we know bear no resemblance to reality.

Despite over a century of feminism we appear to be going backwards in some respects.

I regularly espouse this sentiment: it's so depressing.

Should they really be teaching? No.

But you don't know whose a paedophile and whose not. Some men still have this attitude that if girls wear short skirts they're asking for it. They want it. But how on earth would we find out these men are like that? Once they've committed the crime?

I wouldn't wear all my gold in public either. I've seen school boys take photos of girls arses when they bend down etc and what not. Posting it online etc. When teachers can't do anything coz it's out there. Whose at loss? The poor child whose been exposed and has to deal with the mental trauma.

@DysmalRadius

Surely, if the problem is so endemic, the solution is to change the uniform. Is there not an option to phase out skirts altogether?

Trouble with this is finding girls trousers that fit all girls. In general there is a far, far wide range of bottom shapes for girls than boys....plus add in pre-pubescent and puberty - and you have probably 50% of girls not fitting "standard" school trousers. Boys have far less variation in bum/hip/waist/thigh ratio

I don’t think they phrased it well but I agree with the making others uncomfortable comment. I am a teacher and so many of our girls have their bums hanging out and you can see everything when stood at the front of the room, it’s not a nice conversation to have with a child, but if I don’t then I have to feel uncomfortable because I am being flashed. My colleague in the next room feels more uncomfortable than me so asks me to speak to the girls, he doesn’t feel uncomfortable because he “can’t control” himself but because he worries what the response will be. He has had a girl ask why he was looking before when he has asked her to adjust how she is sitting, he asked because he doesn’t want to see anything....and he is gay. Her mum ended up reporting him for commenting. A blanket ban prevents all of this.

@ProfPickles

I'm female and work in a school and the girls in short skirts make me feel uncomfortable.

They're so short I see one of their bums every single day and these are children. I don't want to see the bums of children and girls wearing skirts so short that if you walk behind them up the stairs you can see up.

I feel like the boys uniforms present them as smart preparing for the work place (one argument made for a smart uniform) and the girls does them a disservice because mini skirts so short you can see bum cheeks every day isn't good enough. The women working there wouldn't be allowed to wear them so why are our girls seen as less important?

I'm always a bit confused when people stick up for girls wearing tiny skirts, it just seems like an obvious way girls are sexualised from a young age

I agree with your logic here.

“ Male teachers are uncomfortable seeing girls in short skirts because of the general illogical consensus that all men are out to prey on women. They don't want to put themselves at risk of accidentally coming into contact with the arse cheeks of a young girl who has deliberately broken the rules and has them on show. ”

Agree with this. My DH is a teacher, in a primary not secondary school thank goodness. His colleague was called a paedo (by a parent!) for simply disciplining a student. Technically because it was online and in public view it as illegal (malicious use of communications or some such offence) but he didn’t go to the police. I would have.

Male teachers definitely don’t have an easy time of it. Obviously there are rotten apples in the barrel but the majority just want to do their jobs as best they can.

I think it is indeed odd tp focus on males feeling uncomfortable when the reality is that most people are uncomfortable when they see girls bums or pants as their skirts are so short - I know I am.

" I assume that our Antipodean male friends have more self control."

Or better mothers.

My daughter's never had the opportunity to even think of doing this... Their schools uniform policy was the skirt had to be 6 inches from the ankle. They were pleated too. Never saw a buttock or anything on show ever on the school run.

As a female teacher, I feel uncomfortable around girls who wear short skirts where I can see their arse. Not needed.

When I was at school I was so relived when they became stricter with skirt length. Peer pressure made me roll mine up far shorter than I was comfortable with, but being 13 I didn't have the fight in me to stand up for myself, it just made life easier to conform. I do fail to see why it's something worth fighting for, is there any benefit for short skirts in school?

@HarryBlackberry1

My daughter is in sixth form, and was telling me yesterday that they get repeatedly told not to wear short skirts, because the male teachers see it as a distraction. Like a previous poster said, should they be in the profession then? I'm a teacher myself, and think this is bizarre. Mind, I hate to see horrendously short skirts. It does make me feel uneasy.

So by your own admission, if you saw someone in an extremely short skirt you’d feel uneasy - and most likely be distracted. Therefore, should you also be in the teaching profession? Male teachers being distracted doesn’t mean they suddenly find themselves aroused at the sight. It means they may lose concentration momentarily, may find it awkward to walk up the school stairs if there’s a girl in front of him in a short skirt so choose to turn round and go back down.

"Trouble with this is finding girls trousers that fit all girls. In general there is a far, far wide range of bottom shapes for girls than boys....plus add in pre-pubescent and puberty - and you have probably 50% of girls not fitting "standard" school trousers. Boys have far less variation in bum/hip/waist/thigh ratio"

As long as schools don't insist that the trousers are bought from a school supplier, which always provide woefully inadequately shaped garments, it's easy to get a pair of black trousers that fit the child and are suitable for school.

Tbh some men like the sexy school uniform etc so the girls wearing skirts so short and a tie and blazer etc is effectively the one sold in Ann summers. Our school skirt has to be a specific skirt and to the knee

[quote ProfPickles]@Branleuse of course it's a battle that can be won, there'll be plenty of backlash from the girls but that doesn't mean we give up on them and allow them to continue flashing their bums and underwear in public. We have a responsibility as adults to do what is best for children, women and girls have always been on a back foot to men and this is just one small part of it we have the power to change [/quote]
Bloody hell, give this woman a 🏅 she is talking a ridiculous amount of common sense.

I agree it's to do with dress code only, flashing parts of the body wouldn't be acceptable in the work place. Teaching staff shouldn't feel uncomfortable doing their job (male or female).

I have seen them at lunch time when I have been getting shopping at the supermarket, skirts so short surely completely unnecessary. Fair enough in their private time but not in school hours.

@NeverDropYourMoonCup

I don't particularly enjoy seeing teenage girls' inner thighs and gussets when they sit down/their arse cheeks when they go upstairs either. Sometimes I see even more than that, not because I'm looking with malevolent intent but because it's in my line of sight, I can't work blindfolded and frankly, it's all out on display for anybody to see anyhow.

If I chose to deliberately shorten my clothes so that was what everybody saw at work, neither they nor their parents would appreciate it.

Spot on! But we are not allowed to say ‘I prefer not to see your pants when you are sitting in class!’, because then we are accused of being a pervert.

I think saying it's distracting for male teachers is an unfair rationale, as demonstrated by this thread it makes many teachers uncomfortable, and going to assume the overwhelming majority isn't because of anything sexual.

YANBU to be concerned at the wording. Skirts should be the correct length because it’s the uniform policy and because nobody wants to see anyone else’s private parts in public.

Not because it’s distracting for males (funny how lesbians generally manage to control themselves but nobody expects boys/men to do so).

Saying girls shouldn’t wear short skirts because it distracts boys or theyre putting themselves at risk is victim blaming.

Those Australian uniforms are modest! We are talking about skirts made of a tube of elastic fabric barely skimming the bum cheeks.

@DameAlyson

You will find that schools in warmer climates like Australia, have uniforms that are generally much shorter than in UK.

The skirts the girls in those photos are wearing are nothing like the type of skirt referred to in this thread.

Exactly. We are talking micro micro short.

ahh i remember getting a phone call from the head of year, that my dd 's skirt was too short ,me" what a shame as it was bought from your school recommended stockist and that was the length it came in for her waist size" not my fault shes tall and a bigger waist size would have fell down to her ankles

Dd wore shorts all throughout primary, mostly 'boy shorts' the longer cargo type with pockets on the side. Unfortunately at high school these are not allowed so instead she wears gym skorts. These have none of the issues mentioned as you can't see pants or bum walking upstairs thanks to the built in cycle shorts but the entire thing is incredibly short unlike her original shorts of choice that she isn't allowed. If they want modesty they should allow shorts IMO

Is anyone else interested in putting together some points and writing a letter that we can send out to our local schools?

I've always been the type to be upset about this sort of thing but never the type to act upon it. Working in a school has made this a real issue because I'm seeing up so many girls' skirts and I think it's a really important issue to tackle.

I've been considering this for around 6 months now and any support would be fantastic. I've been put off due to being a member of staff and not wanting to have my name mentioned but now I'm thinking sod it let's actually get out there and try to make a change.

I feel like there's a good chance that a well written argument will be listened to and I'd love it if others got on board and sent it out in their local area instead of my trust alone

The reason is wrong but there are 14 years old at my local high school literally with their arses hanging out. No tights. Its absolutely ridiculous.

I just think wtf are their parents thinking.