To think that 5/6 year old little girls don’t need to wear shorts under dresses to “protect their modesty”

[Darthwazette]

Just what the subject like says really. I’d be interested to know other parents thoughts. I’m not a weirdo, this request has been made of my daughters from school and it makes me feel a bit icky.

I agree. It is odd and seems to be quite a modern/recent thing? Certainly, we didn't as young girls.

My dd is 6 and her younger sister 4. Neither wear shorts under their dresses.

A flash of knickers while playing/cartwheeling . . . . So what?

That's only a recently thing (shorts). Little lads used to wear briefs and y-fronts in the 1980s. And while I wear a type of pants sometimes called "boy shorts" myself, they are really more like full but low rise briefs. I certainly don't want to wear boxer shorts.

Would all be solved if we just put all school children in trousers or shorts. I don't understand why dresses and skirts are even part of school uniform anymore. Same for ties and blazers.

Just get rid and stop cos-playing the 1950's

I agree on ties and blazers in fact I don't like uniform full stop. But if it's there, why is the UK male the default/ideal? It's bad enough that girls have to wear ties. Dresses or robes are a bloody brilliant garment in warm weather as many people of both sexes in hot countries agree. As I strolled into the office in my cool cotton dress today I did not envy men in their polyester trousers.

As a teacher of small children let me tell you that when they are sitting cross-legged on the floor and wearing loose pants they do tend to gape.
The school I work in has a majority of Muslim pupils so not really an issue but where I worked previously I've seen far too many gapey pants and it makes me uncomfortable (and not nice if another child notices and points it out).
I used to wear cycling shorts under my school dress and in fact am wearing them today as I'm often sitting in the floor with the kids and I want one less thing to worry about.

Your child is no more safe from paedophiles because she is wearing shorts under her dress. Paedophiles don’t target children because of what they’re wearing. They target them because they are children.

I buy summer playsuits for my daughter (m&s) rather than the gingham dresses for school. I also buy her boy cut pants from h&m (like mini trunks/boxers).

I put shorts on my toddler underneath her dresses but not for modesty but so she can play properly. Bare thighs get stuck on the slide or chafed when climbing. I don’t think any girl should wear them for modesty but frankly most dresses are just an impractical uniform and we should do better at a unisex summer uniform that’s light and cool and allows for all the playing, handstands, sliding, tackling and anything else that kids like to play keeping them comfortable at the same time.

My daughter wears cycling shorts under her dress so she can climb without worrying about showing her pants. She asked for them because other girls in her class were being teased by boys for showing their pants.
Yes the boys need to be taught not to be stupid.
But I don't want her upset and teased while they learn.

Some schools are not allowing these playsuits as part of their school uniform 🙄

Part of the problem of knickers showing privates is because of the cheaper, straight up and down summer dresses that started being produced in the late 90s. When girls sit in them there's not enough material to cover their legs when they sit down. When I was at primary all summer dresses had bigger skirt areas so when we sat cross legged we then pulled the skirt to cover our legs and nothing was on show.

Another part is girls being put in knickers that are too skimpy. This is the fault of manufacturers but as a parent I learned early on to get the next size up in knickers from most shops to ensure they fully covered bums.

Personally I have also taught and never at any time was I distracted by a flash of knickers.

YANBU, thats terrible. It does make me what has happened to trigger this unfairness to girls.

A family friend’s 5 year old son would regularly grab me hard in the crotch, and the adults seemed to shrug it off because he was a kid.

I wonder if something similar has happened at your school.

School telling our little girls to cover up. Is it a school known for islamification ? I'd change school if such a request was made.
Not long before we all will be told to cover up and to stop existing. All the right steps have been made with the whole concept of women being eroded.
How vile. Report to Ofsted and write reviews and contact your MP. And make sure the Headteacher knows how offensive and vicious this is.

Also - who on earth is the poster who says they wear cycling shorts under a dress as an adult? Has the world gone properly mad?

Who made you the clothing police? I wear shorts under dresses so I can bend down and pick up dog poo without showing the world my crotch.

I do for my girls but think it should be choice. They play a lot so dresses come. Don't think there is anything wrong with encouraging dignity for your child.

Girls and boys used to do PE in their pants - just saying this for those fools who put this down to something other than what it is - telling girls and women to cover up and that their bodies are offensive and that they ought to be modest or they'll arouse a male and compromise their honour. It is a new issue that hasn't existed in your generation, or mine or our grandparents and greatgrandparents. You know very well who and what brings those influences here.

I have a 6 year old daughter and must admit it’s not something I’d considered doing when she wears dresses. However this year, when I got her school summer dresses out, she decided herself she wanted to wear shorts underneath as that’s what other girls in her class do. So I’ve bought her some cycling shorts to go underneath the summer dresses.

I think it's a reasonable request.

I kind of like shorts understand dresses for little girls.

Not necessarily for nursery/school, but when you're out and about.

You never know who's looking, so many strange people about.

I look at it differently to others. It's not about treating girls differently to boys and teaching them modesty. In my eyes it's treating boys and girls the same. Having the same standards of uniform for both sexes. As I and many others who've worked in schools have said, - girls knickers can be very skimpy and loose and we've often seen girls genitals exposed (and no I was not deliberately looking!). Imagine if boys wore a uniform that occasionally exposed their penises. It wouldn't be good right? I think both boys and girls should have a uniform that doesn't risk exposure of their genitals. This isn't about seeing a flash of knickers. It's about little girls knickers not being fit for purpose and exposing the girls. If girls wore trunk style knickers it would be better.

How old are you exactly?!

Teen girls have worn very short skirts since the 80s at least.

It's also worth noting that the 'just buy bigger pants and it'll cover more' doesn't work for all children. Any bigger for my daughter and they'd just fall down/ gape even more! Ones that fit around the waist and thighs are smaller then I'd like as she had to wear a size or two smaller because she's slim.

Skipped to the end, so haven't read all the replies, but in Australia, they have solved this issue in schools with the "skort". Most school uniforms don't include regular skirts any more. It's a pair of shorts with a skirt type front, which all the girls wear and love. They're worn year round. Pull up and down like a pair of shorts, cover everything while upside down or sitting legs in a basket, but look like a skirt.

Means the whole cohort wears the same upper half, boys wear shorts, girls wear shorts or skorts, everyone is comfortable and happy. They're loose, so stockings can be worn under them comfortably in winter when it's properly cold (like now!!)

I'm trying to add a picture but I'm extremely technically challenged so I'm not sure it'll work!!

It's a hard one. I have been trying to teach mine that 'pants are private' and that conflicts slightly with 'don't worry about anyone seeing your pants when you're hanging upside down'

Yes, but the point is you still used your dress to cover yourself. People are up in arms over the right to show underwear because they are girls and anything other than that is shaming them. I don't understand it.

At a local highschool boys are allowed to wear super skinny school trousers but girls are not allowed to wear leggings, it must be skirts or the 'boys' trousers (which none of them want to wear because they would get picked on) so the girls uncomfortable with skirts have to wear them.

Now THAT is something to get annoyed about, not this.

Even if the school said 'all children must...' people would still be offended because it would be aimed at girls as they are likely the only ones wearing something that shows underwear off.

Same this would not work for my DD! Argh it’s hard. She usually wears knickers from M&S and I don’t think they have. She has had the short style ones and they definitely do gape!

Look how many stupid people are supporting females being told to cover up at age 5. Some sheep will follow and obey absolutely anything they are told to do.
Partygate all over again only with much further consequences.
This is painful to read. If you can't see the issue beyond the concrete, not sure what else can be said.

This. Briefly worked with 6 year olds many moons ago. Knickers REALLY move and nobody needs to see that. Also, most school aged girls don't particularly want to show their knickers off either. I think the cycling shorts are great. You can carry on climbing trees, hanging upside down, doing gymnastics in comfort. Plenty of boys and girls would laugh if they saw their friends underwear. Sad, but true and it's not nice to be laughed at any age. Although my DD can wear the grey school shorts she prefers the summer dress as floatier and lighter material. I don't believe any school should enforce them wearing the cycle shorts underneath if they don't want to though. And of course given the option to wear school shorts too for any gender.