Korean Job Discussion Forums

[legrande]

Flowers have bloomed, everything's green, the scent of spring and early summer is in the air. Now this...

05-09-2011 18:12

Skirt length stirs controversy at schools

By Kim Tae-jong

Middle and high schoolgirls� competition to shorten their skirts in line with easier dress codes is triggering a controversy over whether school desks should be modified to block the sight of their legs in classrooms.

In the past, under tighter school regulations, schoolgirls were forced to maintain their skirts� length long enough to keep the hemline from rising too much above their knees.

But hemlines are shortening as liberal superintendents at municipal and provincial education offices have pushed for ordinances to liberate students from strict dress codes.

Gangwon Province Office of Education is looking to have desks with boards attached to the front of them supplied to all secondary schools in the eastern province so that schoolgirls� legs cannot be seen from the front.

The education office�s plan is drawing criticism from conservative teachers� groups that claim what�s necessary is not such a barrier but a tougher dress code to keep schoolgirls� skirts longer.

The education office plans to spend about 820 million won to replace the desks with new ones from the upcoming fall semester. The move is designed to help both teachers and students avoid uncomfortable situations due to the shortened hemlines.

�As skirt hemlines have become shorter, many schoolgirls find it uncomfortable to sit on a chair,� Park Jae-seok, an official from the education office, said. �The blocking boards also reflect the request of teachers who want to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. We hope it will consequently help teachers and students focus more on classes.�

Waste of money?

But the Korean Federation of Teachers Association (KFTA) denounced the move, arguing it is a waste of money and a proper guideline is rather required to promote longer skirt lengths.

�What we need is to promote longer skirt lengths by adopting stricter dress codes,� said Kim Dong-seok, a spokesman for the KFTA. �The education office is now neglecting its duty to properly educate students.�

The shortened hemlines are a problem for teachers as well as students, Kim said, citing a recent survey result.

According to the survey, most teachers said hemlines are now 10-15 centimeters shorter than in 2000. And 85 percent of surveyed teachers agreed on stricter rules to regulate the skirt lengths.

�Shortened hemlines can make female students vulnerable to crimes, and most importantly it�s not the proper dress code for students from an educational point of view,� Kim said.

To properly regulate them, Kim suggested teachers should be given stronger rights to prevent students from shortening skirts too much, which is neglected in the process of protecting students� basic human rights.

[sadguy]

my principal and vice principal are uber strict about dress code. i rarely see m.s. girls with short skirts. h.s. girls on the other hand....

[legrande]

Yeah, they do get'em up pretty short, 'tho nothin' like Japan. But it's like their hormones are buzzing 24/7, they're made to study absurd amounts, parents on their case about it being the end of the world if the right unis don't admit them, so stop with clothes police harassment already. Lord knows they only make it worse by trying to enforce their one-size-fits-all Confucian straitjacket. And spending millions of taxpayers' won on new chairs to hide students' legs, good grief you could do a lot of other worthier things with that money.

[Kaypea]

I really think it's time to do away with the uniform. On weekends, MS girls tend to look normal, wearing jeans and sweats. I'm sick of seeing them going around with their outdated schoolgirl skirts hiked way up because it's the only way they feel they can express themselves and look modern.

The uniforms are NOT being worn as they should be. The kids look weird. They should be allowed to choose their own clothes.

[Zackback]

I know where I'll be applying next.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlN3oEjMpUQ

[jvalmer]

[sadguy]

i think uniforms are a good idea. i used to be against it growing up in america, but there's no fuss about clothing and fashion inside the schools. no jealousy, or teasing or bullying done about clothes.

i remember kids being teased for how they dressed when i was growing up. having uniforms eliminates those pesky problems.

[nathanrutledge]

I haven't had any trouble in my high school. My middle school on the other hand, I DID have a couple girls who thought it would be funny to hike the skirts up and sit at the desk with their legs open... I subtly pointed it out to my co teacher who beat the snot out of them (this was before the whole "human rights" garbage).

If a girl wants to wear a short skirt, fine. But that means if people want to stare at her and make her feel uncomfortable, that's fine too. I've seen plenty of people with short skirts who look good and pull it off well - comfortable, attractive, but not distracting. Others are so short that a gentle breeze would rustle the grass, as it were, and plenty of people were staring.

Seriously, what is the point of a skirt/shorts that are smaller than a banana hammock? To express oneself? We all know what they are expressing.

This is a serious waste of money and lack of common sense.

[winterfall]

Depends on your school. It's up to them to teach etiquette. Mine is ultra conservative. The boys and girls are taught to speak and bow differently. Remnant of the older generation

[CtotheB]

God forbid people who aren't married have sexual compulsions, right Korea?

[Geumchondave]

I would love to have new desks just to have new desks to be honest. But if they are replacing I wouldn't mind the ones with fronts, I work at a rural high school and sometimes it is a bit awkward when you suddenly catch an eye full of underage underwear, it avoids the whole argument about uniforms and social conservatism - girls can wear what they want, but if one of them crosses their legs while sitting down i don't have to see anything i would rather not - simple solution and if they are replacing desks anyway (which they really should in my school) then the expense is negligible

[nathanrutledge]