To ask if boys can wear coloured gingham school shorts?

[Makingitupaswegoalong]

DS starting school in September. I’ve never liked the grey boys’ school shorts. I think they’re horrible.

Could a boy wear the shorts version of the summer dresses in the warmer months? The ones like this:
https://direct.asda.com/george/school/shorts/light-blue-girls-gingham-longer-length-school-shorts/G008057152,default,pd.html?redirectFromInt=1&cmpid=ppc--geor-------_-dskwid-_dm&utm_campaign=pla:Fashion-School-_Performance_Max&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=17501196607&gbraid=0AAAAADt8Wcm1oMWVYoBrMZRAaJmY4OxHM&gclid=Cj0KCQjwgIXCBhDBARIsAELC9ZgYG9pdeZibdgD76_xniRBLDqnyyvZArL9DdLA7VsYiWE5zGC1CWE0aAkIFEALw_wcB

The little boys round here wear a lot of brightly coloured patterned leggings.

Why couldn’t they were these shorts? Are they obviously girly? Would people bully him or think we were weird? I just think they’re nicer.

Known as the gingham bloomer compound.

Um, you. 🫣

@CantStopMoving you asked why it might lead to bullying. Part of the answer has to do with the early development of gender identity. Young children strongly associate gender and clothing. Studies have shown that even when a doll’s genitals were visible, children would say that the doll was male/female based on the clothes the doll was wearing. Young children also believe that if someone wears clothes of the other gender, they become that gender. So if they see a boy wearing girl’s shorts, they think he is now a girl.

Young children are deeply conformist, so anything that stands out can lead to bullying.

Yes they do.

There’s also a reason they don’t do baby blue gingham bloomers either.

Oh, OP, of course someone's going to say something. It shouldn't be that way but it is. My kid wanted her hair bobbed for reception, we had it done, she looked great, she went into school in trousers and a little boy asked why she looked like a boy. Three years on she has refused to either have her hair cut again or wear trousers for school. I wouldn't even call what he said bullying, and my kid is pretty robust, but it really affected her and she cannot be talked into wearing trousers at school even now. You're absolutely right politically but don't let that lead you into being naive about the reality of your kid's likely experience at school.

I posted a link back there....it's quite informative.

Don’t forget his bikini!

I have never ever seen a girl wear anything like this! Suspect this is a bit of artistic licence from the supermarkets?

Rules have always been same colour shorts (dark school shorts) regardless of sex/gender. But the girls do wear gingham summer dresses. This is because the dresses in the uniform policy are heavy material that cover the trunk and layer over a T-shirt so the summer equivalent is much lighter and only
one layer.

Check the school uniform policy because they can be quite strict.

I actually like the shorts but I think starting a school is time when you want your child to look like he fits in. It's a huge step for little kids and I think the uniform helps them feel 'at home' and part of the class. I wouldn't be purposefully sending them in different clothes.

If he wanted to wear them once he was settled, that's different. But that would be based on what he wants rather than your fashion sense.

I’m a teacher. I have never thought of this, but what a lovely idea! Girls wear summer dresses, so summer gingham shorts are a lovely option for both! I’d suggest it to the school. If it’s a ‘no’ I wouldn’t make him stand out.

I’m not the one comparing a pair of school shorts to a fascist regime. Ludicrous.
You’re also being pretty shallow. Your son can be the most vibrant and fun loving child in the room in a pair of grey shorts! Don’t give him a complex about them, let him focus on enjoying school and not making it political 🙄

With all this talk of German uniforms I can't be the only one with....'Für Frieden und Sozialismus seid bereit – Immer bereit'....going round in my head, can I?

Some girls wear them at our school. I think they look a bit weird. You can also buy all-gingham playsuits or playsuits that look like these shorts and a separate white top but are actually an all in one. The latter look particularly awful.

Playsuits in general seem mad to me at primary. The potential for something you have to completely remove to go to the loo ending up covered in wee from the floor seems very high.

Conforming is the expectation these days. Kids suffer if they don’t conform.

All pretty dystopian.

My kid loves a playsuit and I vetoed it for that reason

Actually, Europe and the US are exceptional in that regard. School uniforms are common across all of Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Oceania.

And no, we're not all former British colonies or totalitarian states.

It's not.

Agree. And the potential for camel toe is a consideration too.

Boys wear the shorts - some all year round, most in the summer term! Some girls wear the shorts too 🤷‍♀️ (this is at a London state primary - and I see kids at other local primaries wearing shorts….)

I think they're aimed at girls, op, sorry

You don't want him being picked on x

I don't think they are allowed to exclude over non-conforming uniform but they are allowed to encourage uniform use. And point people in the direction of the spare uniform stash!

If you don’t like the uniform why did you choose that school?
uniform is uniform. There is some degree of variety ans
perdonal choice these days, depending on the school, but it’s not really there to be liked or not liked. It just is.

Train your child to understand that you can’t not conform to rules just because you don’t like them. If you worked in Sainsbury’s, for example, would you want or expect dispensation from wearing the uniform because you don’t like orange and purple?

Not dystopian or not the expectation to conform?

I think you’re sad about him growing up OP, and I agree the limited range of colours for typical boy clothes is a bit depressing. It is sad to watch your baby have to conform with school age norms.

But there won’t be a single other boy at school wearing anything gingham, so you really can’t buy him those shorts unless you want to make him feel really really awkward about his clothes at school, and why would you do that. Just get him some nice colourful stuff to wear at the weekends to cheer yourself up. He won’t care either way, so don’t make your feelings about this into his problem.