skirtcafe.org

It's like an unbifurcated "Arab Spring"!!!

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Home/Vi ... 052011.htm

you want shorts, fine worn with long gray socks in the winter

If they continue to wear tights under their skirts, they will lose their protest. I'm sure one of the boss teachers will point out that most tights are just as warm or warmer on the legs in summer than long trousers are. They need to wear something that is virtually the same as shorts IF they are really trying to be allowed to wear shorts. On the other hand, IF they are actually trying to go skirted because they like the skirts better than the shorts, I am afraid the Headmaster will nip the entire protest in the bud. I wish them all the best of luck!!

Yes, wearing tights makes the protest quite pointless. It seems to tie in with a commo prejudice that you can only wear a skirt of you go in for other "feminine" articles on the cross-dressing road, and if anything the boys do smacks of cross-dressing, then that will surely invite a quick slap-down and a tightening of the rules.
Even the way the young lad who began the protest held himself for the photographers was a bit girly. Could that have been at the photographers' request?

Martin

There are some good comments as well. As usual, the positives outnumber the negatives

Charlie

Don't get too excited, chaps. This again is not about boys wanting to wear skirts. They are just using this as a means to an end i.e. to be allowed to wear shorts.

If the skool rools get changed then all we will see is youngsters of both sexes in SHORTS!!

I regret to say that we are not seeing the birth of the skirted male nation here.

However, I have noticed that young men and boys do seem to be happy to don a skirt when they get an excuse to, as here, so maybe there is yet hope

I agree with you Charlie!

AnneHopkins, how about an introduction? We've nearly all displayed one. Join the group!

Coming in late on this one. It seems the school board is being a bit thick headed. If the head master does not want to change the long trousers and skirt rule, just make the rule none gender specific, trousers or skirt/kilt, should be easy enough.

Has anyone read anything on how this turned out? Suspect nothing has changed.

=D~~ Brandy

Absolutely right, no update on the dress code since 2010. The school in question has started moves to become an "Academy" which means it will move out of local authority control to become semi-independant. This suggests it is in a rather affluent location so the whole thing was probably treated as a "wheeze and a jolly jape".
Steve

The original article has been moved here:-
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Home/Vi ... 052011.htm

Just looked at the latest Uniform Code from them and this is what is says (Word Document dated 20 September 2011)

School uniform
We expect students to wear the correct school uniform at Cottenham. I would like to clarify the key aspects of the dress code:
· Polo shirt and jumper - All students must wear a white polo shirt with the college logo. They must also wear a black sweatshirt with the college logo when the weather is cooler.
· Trousers – These should be black, plain and formal. Leggings, tracksuit bottoms, black jeans or even plain black ‘skinny’ jeans are not allowed.
· Skirts - Girls may choose to wear a near knee length plain black ‘formal’ skirt instead of trousers. Tight skirts, short skirts and tight, short skirts are not acceptable.
· Shorts are not allowed.
· Belts - The belt must fit through the belt loops of trousers and must be a dark colour.
· Shoes - Students can wear plain black leather shoes or trainers that are all black and have no obvious logos. Boots, high heels and canvas shoes are not allowed.
· Jewellery and make-up - should be discreet and appropriate for a school environment. Students must not wear large drop earrings.

Not sure if it has changed from the previous year... (ie whether it has become more specific or not)

Not sure either, but I don't think there's any change.
The original protest was about girls having the skirt option and nothing for boys. Shorts are still a "no no", so the protest would appear to have failed.
A jolly jape and the status quo stands, unless there is a more prolonged and widespread skirted protest. Most unlikely, methinks.
Steve.

skirtingtoday wrote:The original article has been moved here:-
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Home/Vi ... 052011.htm

I notice that the content is rather stale; I see nothing from 2012, although it's still reasonably cold out.

School uniform [...]
· Skirts - Girls may choose to wear a near knee length plain black ‘formal’ skirt instead of trousers. Tight skirts, short skirts and tight, short skirts are not acceptable.

I especially love the double-prohibition on "tight, short skirts" at the end. Considering that the schoolgirl skirted uniform was probably dreampt up by some dirty old man someplace, the second sentence above makes me chuckle.

The constructionist in me, however, is tempted to put that they are definitely creating two classes of individual on campus, and that can be nothing but corrosive. If the gals get skirts, then the lads should get either shorts or kilts -- or they should drop the word "Girls" and insert "Students", and be done with.

School uniform [...]
· Skirts - Girls may choose to wear a near knee length plain black ‘formal’ skirt instead of trousers. Tight skirts, short skirts and tight, short skirts are not acceptable.

Its the usual discrimination - the boys have to sweat in long trousers all summer while the girls can choose to be cool and comfortable.

Charlie

Charlie wrote:Its the usual discrimination - the boys have to sweat in long trousers all summer while the girls can choose to be cool and comfortable.

True enough, but if nobody does anything about it, it'll just stay that way.

Shorts, for the most part, are not readily accepted in the modern non-tropical workplace, so, a prohibition on them for both sexes might make sense; however, if the young guys wanted to make a beef about kilt-like skirts they might have an opening, as a proper kilt ought to be well accepted in professional circles so long as it does not constitute a safety-hazard (e.g. machine-shops with exposed mechanicals).

I also wanted to pick on the phrasing of the "skirt rule" in general. If one thinks about it, the actual wording is rather humourous.