to think teen girls should be allowed to wear skirts for ballet?

[Mmmmcoffee]

My 11yo dd goes to a tap and ballet class, and has just had a letter home to say that although the leotard/skirt combination they currently wear is still fine for the classes, when they take their ballet exam they have to wear just the leotard and tights, so the examiner can see their legs.

My dd will be seeing AF within a couple of years. Her best friend already does. If they don't wear tampons its going to be glaringly obvious that they are having their AF, and if they're at all self-conscious you can forget them doing well in the exams.

Maybe you could ask if they be would able to wear shorts over their tights?

That way legs are still visible but with more coverage for them.

This is a requirement of the exam board. If they can't see their legs all the way up to the hips then they can't mark the exam properly. TBH any girl who carries on with dance or gymnastics past puberty will just have to learn to use tampons. DD is 12 and hasn't started yet, but I imagine she will have to do the same as she is at grade 4 level for ballet and modern so discarded the skirts some time ago.

My nderstanding was always that tight were necessary so that the whole leg could be seen. For younder girls at a lower sandard this matters less. I'm sure they'd rather have shorts, but even if they're skin-tight, they don't allow the legs to be seen in as much detail. Of course, you could argue that no tights would be even better, but I'm sure these girls would be even more upset with that!

"Just have to learn to use tampons"???? Are you serious?

Sorry to butt in but what is the big deal about wearing tampons?

Is it really such a hardship to have to use a tampon?

There's no way an examiner can mark girls doing ballet if he/she can't see their legs properly. I remember doing exams and being told we couldn't wear t-shirts over our leotards (as lots of us did for classes) for the same reason.

So basically LGP is right, if teenaged girls want to carry on doing ballet or anything else requiring a leotard they will have to either learn to use tampons or end up skipping a lot of classes/exams.

Not a big deal in itself, I just don't think it should be presented like LadyGlen did - like there isn't a choice. My dd will start with towels until she's comfortable with the idea of tampons.

Surely young-ish girls would feel a load better about starting their periods too if they aren't forced to walk around (let alone dance) with a bloody great mattress between their legs.

dd ballet school insist on regulation uniform (no skirts) at all times - I believe this is quite standard with RAD dance schools. Because this is standard in the school it doesn't bother the girls / young women.

for gymnastics they can wear shorts for training with leotards but for competition if they wear shorts they have marks deducted.

It is part of doing dance / gymnastics.

"My dd will start with towels until she's comfortable with the idea of tampons."

And until she is comfortable with tampons she won't be able to do a ballet exam during her AF. I doubt LadyGlen meant anything particularly harsh, just that one is necessary for the other to occur.

My dd at 11 had no difficulty with using tampons for special occasions like these and towels the rest of the time. It may be a big deal for some girls, doesn't have to be for everyone.

Can i just say, at 50, I still can't wear tampons, I have tried, they fall out (and no rude responses please Ladies )

Not everybody can wear them. DGD finds them difficult as well, and prefers to wear towels.

i got used to tampons at about 12, due to swimming club 4 times a week. no big deal. usually it's the mum who's uncomfortable with it, not the dd.

AF?

Hip allignment and turn out of the legs is one of the core techniques the examiner will be looking for, and disguising this area of the body with a skirt will make it impossible to make an accurate assessment.

Agree with LadyG, any teenage girl who takes dancing fairly seriously will have to use tampons, just as they will often have to shave their armpits sooner than some other girls. They are also more likely to develop problems with their feet once they go on pointe and wreck their hair with over zealous hairspray use. It's a glamourous business, ballet

I swam competitively from age 8 to 16. I had to learn to use tampons from the word go or else I would miss precious training sessions/competitions.

It wasn't a big deal - all the girls who swam did it.

Auntie Flo=period

I swam to very competitively, trained every day, twice a day. It was a nightmare for me, blardy things only stayed in because me cossie was tight!

thanks, morecrack!

I suppose the point is that while some people really don't get on with tampons at all, there really are very few people at all who can't use them - at least for short periods of time. Might not be comfortable, they might only be staing in because of your knickers/costumer/leotard - but if you want to do those things you just have to put up with it for the short time that they're required.

I wasn't meaning to be rude. It's just how it is. You can't wear a pad during a ballet lesson or gymnastics class. I imagine girls who swim seriously have the same issue.

With me it was a case of only wearing one in the water, as soon as finished I changed back to a towel.

Could never have warn a towel in the water back then, it was all Sanitary bets and loops then

Don't most teenage girls prefer to use tampons and want to try them as soon as possible? I did and remember sending away for a starter pack from Jackie comic.
In gymnastics girls have to wear leotards (the ones with pants visible under leotards just look silly). I agree leotards are revealing but if you want to be a dancer/ gymnast you just have to get used to this, otherwise you take up a sporting hobby where you can wear shorts or a tracksuit.

Modern towels are ultra-thin though, surely? They aren't the bricks of yore I remember.