AIBU to think it isn't fair for school to ban skirts and dresses

[helloall987]

My kids attend an all through school they start at 4 in reception and it goes up to 18. There is a primary and a secondary site.

From September they have changed their uniform to trousers and shorts so no school dresses, skirts or pinafores allowed. All children boys and girls to wear black trousers or shorts. No school shoes either just black trainers. The two reasons they cite are modesty and a gender neutral approach so there is no distinction between girls and boys. This is for primary and secondary school pupils. My DD loves wearing pinafores and patent school shoes. I just think think that with this policy the idea of "feminity" is being taken away.

Most parents think it is a great idea but there are a few of us who want to contest it.

I think trousers and shorts are much more practical for school for everyone really!

There is nothing to stop girls (or boys) having ridiculously tight trousers.

I don’t like the judgement of girls with short skirts.

100% this

I think it’s a good idea. Far more practical, and allow little girls to focus on study and play rather than worrying about scratching their feminine patent leather shoes or showing their pants while they cartwheel

So because some boys can’t behave girls have to dress in a certain way?

‘Twas ever thus

They are but girls can still wear dresses if they want. Because why not. Everyone knows boys and girls exist .

Also, trousers are not “male clothes” and a girl wearing trousers doesn’t make her masculine! I’m a woman and I haven’t worn a skirt for 20 years! A girl is a girl and a boy is a boy regardless of what they are wearing! Having the option to choose a skirt or trousers is problematic as girls may feel pressured to wear a skirt as for some ridiculous reason it’s deemed more feminine. Having a one uniform policy will hopefully stop all this “you’re only a proper girl if you wear a skirt” bullshit. Kids are kids. I hope all schools do this

Why? Trousers and shorts are gender neutral options. Why the need to include dresses and skirts?

Slight hesitation about the availability of well fitting trousers for girls as their bodies change shape.

We wore shorts under our dresses

Well it's not gender neutral is it, it's nothing changes for the boys and the girls have to conform to what would traditionally be considered male clothing.

Also I actually think for many young women getting smart trousers that fit comfortably is quite difficult. I know I always struggle, if they fit on the waist they're too small for bum hips and vice versa. Skirts were always much more comfortable for me.

I did say what they wore was up to them. The school concerned cited 'modesty' as one of the reasons.

They can wear them if that’s the uniform. If the uniform states only trousers and shorts then that’s what they can wear!

Women and men , boys and girls wear trousers. Trousers are surely non gender specific now.

Having had a daily discussion with teenagers over uniform for years, I would think it removes some of the need for those discussions. Arguments about what constitutes a shoe, for example. Trainers with logos, fashion shoes that are difficult to walk in.

When the blazer of a teenage girl is longer than her skirt, I think it’s less than modest.

A uniform is a uniform, it’s not an expression of personality.

I can’t imagine the battle teachers go through or how much it wastes their time to get older girls to stop wearing their skirts to their butt cheeks.

I see no issue with it. Your own preference of clothes can be worn in your own time.

Because none of the hundreds of clothing companies around sell trousers for girls and women and girls and women never wear trousers when not at school 🙄

Because some women and girls prefer skirts and dresses. Barring jeans I never wear trousers as finding pairs that fit is a PITA.

Yet they still do it... And will continue to do it, or anything else

I think it's a good idea. Do could have worn trousers for primary, but didn't, because the other girls didn't. So instead, she wore shorts under her dresses so that she could do cartwheels. Therefore being more hot and uncomfortable than she would have been otherwise.

I don't see her in her secondary uniform, because I leave earlier/ come home later. I assume her skirt is also arsed skimming, because she wants to fit in with the other girls. I know she wears shorts underneath.

As a former arse-skimmer myself, I know why they do it: they want to fit in or look desirable, because longer skirts are associated with being boring etc. It's not right, but that's what happens when society tells you that your worth equates to your desirability. I grew out of it.

I also find it interesting that, given the choice outside school, most girls don't wear skirts at all. I'd welcome a uniform of trousers and shorts.

Having said that, when my local high school uniform was black and white, they had to battle with girls wearing leggings instead.

Our high school switched to pleated only skirts to stop girls rolling them up I get that girls have always shortened their skirts but in the last 20 years it's become ridiculous

What a sensible approach to school uniform.

Tradition, modesty, vanity and gender stereotypes aside, trainers and trousers/shorts are far more practical for school than dresses skirts and slip on shoes, or those with hard soles.

I don’t see how banning pinafores and patent shoes, even though some kids like to wear them, is really all that different from all the other things they can’t wear to school that they might like to wear. Uniforms have always been restricted to a few certain items.

That's ridiculous. Trousers have been considered women's wear for decades. Trousers and shorts are more practical. You wouldn't get a female plumber or firefighter turning up in a skirt. It makes sense for kids to have a uniform that's comfortable and easy to run around in and a lot of traditional feminine clothing is actually uncomfortable or restrictive, that's why women moved towards trousers and flat shoes for everyday wear. Teenage girls will always try and roll their skirts up, which is not appropriate for school. This just stops teachers having to fight that battle.

But uniforms aren't about preference. I'm sure some kids would prefer to wear multiple earrings, wear high heels or dye their hair but schools have policies against these preferences within their uniform code.

Practically a gender neutral uniform of trousers/shorts and trainers is a huge improvement compared to most schools. Plus they still have all the time outside of school to wear skirts and dresses should they desire to do so.

My daughter refused to wear skirts after primary school but instead wore trousers so tight you could see everything. I had listened to the dire warning from school about penalties for incorrect uniform and spent a small fortune on trousers from the approved school shop but as a working mum who left the house shortly before she did, it was several months before I realised she had used her own money to buy the trousers that everyone else was wearing from New Look! I gave up and sent the proper trousers to a charity shop with the tags still on.
Since the dawn of time (or at least since they had enough money to have a choice), teenage girls have always found a way to wear their uniform shorter or tighter as their burgeoning hormones urge them to attract a mate. It takes a very strong parent/school/society to stop this especially with so many so called role models on social media selling their idea of the 'perfect' look.