Short skirts

[newtron]

My wife and I just moved to Belfast from the USA and we have noticed a big difference in dress codes for school children.  In the US, many public high schools have a few rules related to the dress code, including a limit on how short a skirt may be.  Generally, 1-2 inches above the knee is the limit.  Here in Belfast, it appears most schools are linked to a Church and most children are required to where uniforms.  It's interesting that many of the uniform skirts worn by school girls are much shorter than would be allowed in most schools in the US. What, if anything , do you think this difference in dress regulations in the schools says about the different cultures? 

[BUNNY]

Hi Newtron,I'm not actually writting to answer your question.I just wanted to say welcome to Belfast!!I live in here too and I really hope you manage to settle in well and enjoy yourselves.Re skirt length,I think you will find most schools do have regulation lengths.Most schoolgirls just hitch them up the minute they get out through the school gates.At least thats what happened in my day!!

[Slainte]

I think the shorter skirt thing is generally about the school uniform.  It's difficult to look noticeable when as many as 300 girls wear the same thing as you, even more so when the skirts are invariably grey, so as Bunny says - the skirt gets hitched up.  When I was at School, the boys all used to pull their shirts out (even though they got told off) and when one popular person does it, the sheep will follow...

[Hyphen]

I think that young girls are desperately trying to make an impression due to media focus on how to look. Short skirts is probably just the tip of the iceberg. I think that maybe the difference in cultures is to do with the different norms of parenting.

[smudge]

Back in 1958-62, I went to an all girls school & remember wearing my prim & proper uniform. However, there was a time when I was 14/15 where the girls, including myself, would hitch the skirt up a little when walking to & from school, then lowering it when we got inside the gates & before we got home again. Both my Mum & the teachers would have given me a ticking off had they caught me doing this. I don't know who we were trying to impress, as we really weren't streetwise at all in those days! My how times have changed!

[newtron]

Hi BUNNY, Thanks for the welcome.  So far, we are doing well. 

[nicola_red]

I work in a public building where we get a lot of school groups visiting and I regularly comment to my colleagues on how short the girls' skirts are becoming and how we would never have got away with it at my school. I think it's just that kids are naturally rebellious and will try to change the uniform if they can get away with it at all, plus girls are becoming sexually aware at a younger and younger age and trying to attract attention from boys/men by hiking up their skirts!