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Short School Skirts.

(156 Posts)
Calendargirl Sun 26-Feb-23 13:10:03

Nothing new, a Merseyside school is pulling schoolgirls over and measuring skirt lengths, too short.

This was being done when I was at school, in the 60’s.

The main difference it was our senior mistress who did the measuring, not male staff, which seems to be happening now. Don’t agree with that (the males measuring), but looking at some of our local girls on their way to school, they’re skirts hardly showing below their blazers.

‘‘Twas ever thus” I suppose.

(My parents, by the way, would totally have backed the school).

GagaJo Tue 28-Feb-23 16:54:45

One school I worked at, it was very popular amongst the yoof to have the knot in their ties as large as possible. Looked ridiculous but meh. As long as the kids bits are covered, I'm not that bothered.

Bijou Tue 28-Feb-23 17:09:30

I wet to a strict girls school in the 1930s. The uniform was a grey skirt, hem touching floor when kneeling , square neck blue cotton blouse. Up to age thirteen knee high woollen socks then grey lisle stockings. Nylon hadn’t been invented. Felt hat in winter, Panama in summer. Hair tied back with navy blue ribbon. I got called up to the Headmisstress office for having light blue ribbon! No makeup.
As we left after school a teacher would make sure that hats were on straight and coats buttoned.
Were not allowed to fraternise with boys from the boys school. I wasseen talking to one of the boys. Once again before the Headmisstress. But he was my friends brother and we were going to tea at her house and to play Monopoly. He was killed in the war aged 18.

Thisismyname1953 Tue 28-Feb-23 17:37:03

I was at a girls only grammar school in the 1960s and the era of mini skirts . We were never pulled up on the length of our skirts but nearby was a Catholic girls grammar school and the girls there had to have a skirt that touched the floor when kneeling. No measuring needed.

Yammy Tue 28-Feb-23 22:20:32

Lizzie44

We had skirt measuring at my Grammar School for Girls in the 1950s - the ritual kneeling before the headmistress and her tape measure. I'm amazed it still goes on. I think the very short skirts on today's schoolgirls look ridiculous (how cold must it be in winter?) but I think they should be free to wear them like that if they want to. School uniform is always going to get adapted and tweaked to whatever is deemed to be the latest fashion. No big deal. My pet hate at school was the regulation navy blue beret that most girls pinned flat to the back of their head like a flying saucer. Berets worn out in the street were snatched off the head and hurled into the road by Secondary Modern school pupils chanting "Grammar bugs, pull your lugs".

The quote chanted at us was "Grammar School snobs all in a row a pint of piss will drown you all" We had to show the badge at the front and paraded through the local town to churches for Christmas Concerts. We wore them like you, held with two clips until we were at the site of school The boys had to have caps on at 18.

Zoejory Tue 28-Feb-23 22:33:12

Some of the complaints are about unisex toilets. Kids don't want unisex loos. I don't like them for me. We had them in our local hospital for a while but they reverted back to men/women due to an avalanche of complaints.

I'm backing the pupils

Grandma2213 Wed 01-Mar-23 03:02:21

My 13 year old DGD told me a friend of hers was told off by a teacher for wearing (black) tights that were too thin because she was distracting the boys! As DGD wisely pointed out, how on earth did the poor defenceless boys cope in the summer when the girls wore their skirts with socks and no thick black tights!

Mamie Wed 01-Mar-23 07:54:06

I was a bit too young for it, but I remember older girls at school backcombing their hair to hide their berets. 😂

lesleybs Wed 01-Mar-23 08:56:07

At my GD's school they decided to solve the problem of shortening skirts by making all girls wear skirts you can only buy from an expensive shop. The skirts all have the school symbol on them but I don't think they thought it through properly as the symbol is on bottom of the skirt.

Magrithea Wed 01-Mar-23 09:31:13

JaneJudge

we used to have to kneel on the floor and the hem had to touch the floor. It didn't appear to stop girls getting pregnant though before their exams had been taken

My school was the same JaneJudge - run by nuns. We all rolled our waistbands and I remember Sr. Peter Joseph stopping people to check their skirt lengths!!

White knee length socks over tan tights was a thing too!

Granmarderby10 Wed 01-Mar-23 10:36:50

Yep the American Tan tights with white knee length socks at those discos with ultra-violet lights 💡

Caleo Wed 01-Mar-23 11:01:45

Sexuality is glorified by the culture, and both boys and girls have suffered.
True, it was good that we had the sexual revolution of the 1960s - 70s . Now, ersatz sexuality pervades popular culture and pretends it's all good all beautiful.
Against false sexuality schools and parents fight a losing battle.

Who are the individuals who benefit from sexualisation? The fashion industry, the commercial music industry, commercialised magazines, novels, and film.

Nvella Wed 01-Mar-23 13:11:55

There is a Catholic school in Herts where the girls wear floor length tartan skirts. It amazes me that there isn’t a riot about them. To my mind they look weird. But my sons went to North London comps with no uniform where they all wore jeans and t/sweatshirts and that was fine with me!

bevisp1 Wed 01-Mar-23 14:41:35

A few months ago, i was walking the dog and passed some local senior school kids. There was one girl I was behind, she must have been about 12-14 yrs old, slightly overweight and plain looking (meaning not all dolled up), her skirt was so short that you could see she was wearing thong type knickers, so not only could you see to top of legs but some bum cheek too. It wasn’t a pretty site, felt sorry for the poor thing, she was on her way to school which is a mixed sex school, walking along the main road which was busy with traffic.

Hithere Wed 01-Mar-23 14:42:51

Besvip1
What a judgemental comment!

I hope you treat your family and friends better than this

Rosina Wed 01-Mar-23 15:14:45

My school had the 'kneel and ensure the hem touches the floor' rule, and patent shoes were banned. When I worked in a junior school, one girl came in wearing a knee length straight skirt that was split to the thigh, and showing her knickers. The Head (female) who never held back with these matters, rang the mother and bellowed 'What ARE you thinking of? ' and insisted that mother brought trousers or a more modest skirt into school at once. We all waited for the letter of complaint or the call from the governors, but nothing more happened.

Rosina Wed 01-Mar-23 15:18:43

Highthere do you think a schoolgirl dressed as Besvip1 has described is appropriate? I would be concerned for remarks that would be made to her, at the very least. I am at a loss to see how this is 'judgemental' also - can we not comment on what we see and subsequently think? ?

FannyCornforth Wed 01-Mar-23 15:26:58

Yes, it wasn’t judgmental. It was actually empathetic.
The poor girl will be ridiculed.
I’m sure (and hope) that the pastoral team at her school will step in and have a little word.

Hithere Wed 01-Mar-23 15:30:14

Describing in details her weight, foe example, was one factor

How does the length of the skirt hurt the op?

No, I don't agree with women and young girls being so sexually objectified
The length of the skirt is just a small symptom of a huge problem

I still have to read how unacceptable is the way boys wear their uniform

Rosina Wed 01-Mar-23 15:57:58

Anyone who is slightly overweight is generally a target of snide remarks at school - I speak from experience - and showing chubby cheeks would hardly be what is now described as a 'good look'. I don't think the OP said that the skirt length 'hurt her' - she was sympathetic . Let's hope, as FannyCornforth suggested, she was given some better advice at school.

Callistemon21 Wed 01-Mar-23 17:58:16

I still have to read how unacceptable is the way boys wear their uniform

In what way?
Ties too loose?

Calendargirl Wed 01-Mar-23 18:52:38

slightly overweight

I don’t think this is ‘judgemental’.

Just an honest observation, taken in context with how she was dressed.

Poor girl, probably trying to fit in with her peers, and ending up looking a figure of ridicule.

Callistemon21 Wed 01-Mar-23 18:56:42

slightly overweight
That's non-pc now, as is fat.

The correct term is enormous.

Calendargirl Wed 01-Mar-23 19:00:21

I would prefer to be classed as ‘slightly overweight’ rather than ‘enormous’, pc or not.

grin

PaperMonster Wed 01-Mar-23 21:13:31

Trousers for everyone would be a nightmare. I have a child with sensory issues. She can barely tolerate the skirt, she wouldn’t wear trousers. The skirts at her school can only be purchased from the uniform shop and are supposed to be knee length. She has a larger size as she struggles with the waistband and so it sits lower on her than it should - and even so, it sits above her knees. That school in Rainford treated the girls appallingly.

Katie59 Thu 02-Mar-23 09:36:31

PaperMonster

Trousers for everyone would be a nightmare. I have a child with sensory issues. She can barely tolerate the skirt, she wouldn’t wear trousers. The skirts at her school can only be purchased from the uniform shop and are supposed to be knee length. She has a larger size as she struggles with the waistband and so it sits lower on her than it should - and even so, it sits above her knees. That school in Rainford treated the girls appallingly.

How do boys with “sensory issues “ cope?.