"Parents accuse schools of body-shaming as girls are told to wear shorts under skirts"

What is wrong that men are even thinking this way? Are they untamed animals unable to restrain themselves? Why not go the whole hog and have females wearing a black robe and a full face mask? Quite disgusting .

wellbeck - thank you for the u-tube. Will show it my gson when he next visits (probably Tuesday evening). He will love it.
I do suspect that he sometimes wears this skort just to watch the reactions of people around him. His family and extended family just accept most of what our teenagers wear (so much of it outlandish), without comment or reaction - so he has to look further afield for this!!!

Thanks for that link Welbeck. I’d forgotten that row.
It actually makes an extra point that wasn’t intended. When you make all uniform the same, why should it always be essentially male attire? Girls can and do wear trousers more and more often, but that’s by choice. If all children should wear the same- why not make it skirts? I know that simply wouldn’t happen but . . .

Mollygo

Thanks for that link Welbeck. I’d forgotten that row.
It actually makes an extra point that wasn’t intended. When you make all uniform the same, why should it always be essentially male attire? Girls can and do wear trousers more and more often, but that’s by choice. If all children should wear the same- why not make it skirts? I know that simply wouldn’t happen but . . .

There have been schools where boys weren't allowed to wear shorts in hot weather, even what would in the past have been called short trousers, so they wore skirts instead. There was, quite rightly, nothing in the school uniform policy that said boys couldn't wear skirts to school. This is the way to break through idiotic and inequitable school policies.

A similar thing happened in, I think, Norway, among tram and bus drivers.

Ah, I see that's what welbeck's post was about too.
#skimreading ! ☺️

trisher

WhenI said not many that's exactly what I meant. Some schools, particularly faith schools, private schools and a few state primaries had uniforms. But having taught in many all over the country I think I can safely say they were the exception. There wasn',t until the 80s, the ubiquitous sweat shirt which became the start of primary uniforms. Most working parents wouldn't have purchased special clothes for school at primary age, some found it a stretch for secondary.

I went to school in a rundown inner city area in the 1950s. We had a uniform, not everyone managed to have all of it but we definitely had one, grey shorts for boys, green pinefore for girls, white shirts/blouses, green and yellow tie and a green jumper.

I do remember that the skirts would last several years with some girls having them nearly to the ankles and some with them well above the knee. One skirt and it lasted 3 or 4 years so you only needed two for the whole of primary.

welbeck

Trisha, i agree with you, that is my memory, impression, and observation from family photos etc, too.
inner london schools rarely had uniforms until last 25ish years. it was a non issue generally. wish it was so now.

Tallulah, presumably that was a private school. never heard of a state school requiring boaters.

Franbern, has your GS seen this:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_h1wayIgn8o

When I was at a state grammar school in the 1960s we had a beret, at another grammar my sister had to wear a felt winter hat or a summer boater. It was considered the best girls' grammar in the city so was probably a status thing, posher than us lot in our berets.

My grandson’s London school (independent, co-ed) has a uniform list that includes kilts, skorts, shorts and trousers along with long and short sleeved white shirts, fleeces and the usual V-necked jumpers. There is no indication whether any of these items are for boys or girls. They are free to choose. So far I don’t think he’s chosen a short, but I wouldn’t put it past him.

The word ‘short’ in the last sentence should be ‘skort’. I thought I’d corrected it, but autocorrect doesn’t like it.

How the 'worries' change. I so clearly remember when doing handstands in the playground. You would tuck your dress in your knicker legs!

Sorry if this is off subject but I don’t understand people saying blazers are a new idea. All the state schools where I lived had uniforms and they were a lot more expensive in the 50s and 60s considering the level of pay for the blue collared workers and the price of food. There were no supermarkets with special offers. My father worked on the busses. My school didn’t have a select shop but it was very difficult, my mother bought from a catalogue or second hand. She knitted the jumpers and at the end of each year unraveled them to knit a larger size.
Aged 7, the state school where I was big knickers were a horrible bottle green in the 50s. Winter was a green pinafore dress, white blouse, green and red tie, gabardine coat and green beret. Summer green blazer, green gingham checked dress closed in sandals and winter gabardine coat, black lace-ups.
When I was 11 it changed to grey skirt, grey big knickers with white blouse and yellow tie, still had the blazer and beret but in grey with the added addition of a tassel. I remember my skirt cost £5 a huge amount in those days.

Oh dear done it again muddled up summer was a blazer and closed in sandals, winter black lace ups

I was horrified the other day when I was in our local town when the secondary school pupils were leaving for the day. There are two schools fairly close to each other and both have school uniforms. Some of the girls looked lovely, but my goodness others, well, let’s just say they didn’t leave much to the imagination!! One girl was showing the cheeks of her bottom when she was walking along and very tight blouse that looked at least a size too small. Why, when schools have a uniform policy, isn’t it enforced? Also, why do parents let their children go to school like this, I certainly wouldn’t have and didn’t!!! I am not old and I am not a prude but I do like certain standards, sadly they are missing from life in some areas.

When I had to wear a uniform it was strictly enforced and had to be purchased from a specified stockist. My mother went to the grammar school in the 1930’s, the girls had to kneel on the floor and the gap between the floor and the hem of their skirts was measured with a ruler and had to be a certain distance, I think no more than 4 inches.

It is very sad that children as young as 4 are having to be made aware that they have to ‘cover up’ but it is sadly a sign of the times. If it was part of the set uniform, nothing would be thought about it.

The three nearest state primaries had uniforms. Pinafores, shirts, cardigans for girls or trousers, shirts, jumpers for boys, both with ties. Blazers for summer, gaberdines for winter. We saw them on the way to and from school. I couldn’t say about the ones anywhere else, because we only went out and about at the weekend or during holidays and of course children didn’t wear uniform at the weekend or in the holidays.
We were easily distinguished by our main uniform colour; grey or navy or green. I wish Sainsbury’s or Asda had been around to make it less expensive.

Hithere

This is so sad how girls are sexualized from such a young age.

Everybody wears comfortable clothes that let's them play - shorts!

Problem solved.

I agree as an ex infants teacher and have a GD. Little girls knickers have got skimpier as the years have passed they emulate their mothers not necessarily the child or mothers fault.
Maybe the school uniform for girls in school should be shorts or culottes in summer materials and they are given a choice. Or maybe manufacturers could start to produce again what we call knickers.
When I first taught many years ago indoor P.E.was taken in vest and knickers or the boys in their underpants which caused lots of giggles and pointing when parts escaped from y fronts. Then t-shirt and shorts were introduced for all, problem solved but not when they were all asked to sit on the carpet.
Somehow though it all seemed to be so innocent, it certainly is not now and maybe it wasn't then as someone has already pointed out. We all knew the dirty old men in the community and the teachers who seemed to get the best seat for looking up skirts . Or the male teacher who often had trouble with zipping his flies.
Our whole attitude to respecting each other has to change. Women should be able to wear what they want, though you do have to ask the question why do they want to wear skimpy clothes. Is it for fashion, because they would be ridiculed or are they much more sexually aware at a younger age and if so why?.

Shropshirelass it is very difficult to stop girls wearing their uiform as they wish to now. Should anyone question the tightness or length girls are quite likely to accuse them of "body shaming", and assert loudly it is their right to dress as they want.
A friend trying to deal with a dispute between a boy and a girl in secondary school found herself in this. The girl was shouting at the boy for staring at. her breasts, after warning the boy and sending him off my friend tried to suggest to the girl that her blouse was too tight, and she could fasten another button. The girl was incensed and insisted she could wear whatever she liked. Which is of course true, but so is the fact that teenage boys stare at breasts.

I was sitting outside local coffee shop yesterday enjoying the sun, two girls walked past probably about 14. One had a very tight skirt, it was a stretchy fabric and was clinging to her it was also very short and it would ride up every step she took. I hope she had a thong on if not she was going commando as you could clearly see her cheeks below the skirt. She was constantly trying to pull her skirt down but it was determined to put her on show.

I thought what a shame it was, she could have been having a lovely carefree day in the sun if she had a pair of shorts on. I'm sure someone will say I shouldn't have been looking but I was at just the right height and it was the way my chair was facing so it was "in my face" so to speak.

I remember Michael Caine being interviewed in the 60s and saying his gran would never have believed that girls would be walking down the street with such short skirts you could see their suspenders, heaven knows what she'd have said yesterday.

I used to wear very short skirts when I was young too

Quite so, trisher. I think it's disingenuous of teenage girls to pretend that choosing to wear what accentuates (or even flaunts, as in if you've got it flaunt it) their sexuality should have no consequences, e.g. "turning heads" and parts of their anatomy being stared at.

And no, I'm not suggesting they're asking to be abused, but they jolly well are asking to be looked at as sexually attractive. In respect of giving out sexual signals, human beings, including males, are no different from other sexually reproducing species. To pretend that we are different is daft.

Young men (it's usually young men) behaving in excessively risky activities is sexual signalling too. It's not just girls.

I defy almost all the grans and grandads on this site to swear that they never acted or dressed in ways to "turn heads" at some point (or all points even) during their lifetime.

It is sad that parents of even small children are being asked to make sure their kids' bottoms are properly covered but it isn't body-shaming.

I suspect it's not really about the very young children though, just a cover all (non-deliberate pun!) so that schools can't be accused of the wrong kind of discrimination (NB not all discrimination is bad but that's another issue).

I defy almost all the grans and grandads on this site to swear that they never acted or dressed in ways to "turn heads" at some point (or all points even) during their lifetime
I agree Baggs but what we didn't do was blame the person who was tempted to look. Now it seems the ones you fancy are allowed to stare but the ones you don't can be shouted at and accused of being "pervs".

ShropshireLass
One girl was showing the cheeks of her bottom when she was walking along and very tight blouse that looked at least a size too small. Why, when schools have a uniform policy, isn’t it enforced?
School uniform is the bane of teachers' lives, especially skirt length. Of course they wouldn't be allowed in school like that. I assume it was Leaving Day. The Y11s usually bring in a spare shirt to sign.

As for Yammy's comments about teachers looking up girls' skirts and male teachers' problems with their flies, maybe that was the strange things kids think. I went to an all-girls' school, we were obsessed with who was gay. Perhaps it's the same thing

trisher

^I defy almost all the grans and grandads on this site to swear that they never acted or dressed in ways to "turn heads" at some point (or all points even) during their lifetime^
I agree Baggs but what we didn't do was blame the person who was tempted to look. Now it seems the ones you fancy are allowed to stare but the ones you don't can be shouted at and accused of being "pervs".

Yep. Complete damnfoolery. Hopefully sense will prevail eventually.

I have this problem currently. My eldest started school this year and is currently well miffed with me as I make her wear white cotton cycle shorts under her school summer dresses. She is also annoyed that I bought her new ones which are knee length instead of the ones she started school in, which are now thigh length. She complains that her friends are not wearing shorts or knee length skirts - and indeed they are not - but I am simply not happy with her going in only her pants. I see enough of the shorts when she is playing at pick up time to gather that the children’s undergarments are almost always on display.

My middle one starts school in the autumn and is very upset that she will be required to wear skirts and dresses every day, as she only agrees to a dress on special occasions and does not feel comfortable in one for ordinary wear. There have been many tears over this issue but there is nothing to be done over it.

If the accursed uniform rules allowed shorts and trousers for girls, I would slap both in trousers/shorts depending on weather and think no more about it. But it doesn’t, so rows about skirt length and undergarments will go on and on.

Re children’s pants: they all come in a practically identical cut. Believe me, I have looked for a full brief or ideally a full brief with some leg coverage to absolutely no avail. I have to buy what is available