THE OBSERVER: Parents back heads over controversial ban on miniskirts
When Mary Quant first raised the nation's hemlines in the 1960s, it was seen as a symbol of women's liberation. Fifty years on and the miniskirt is still causing consternation, and now faces a ban in Britain's schools.
Dozens of schools are considering following the lead of St Aidan's High in Yorkshire and St Alban's in Suffolk, which have banned skirts altogether this term and insisted girls wear trousers. In others, letters have been sent to parents saying that the current fashion for wearing school skirts as short, and as tight, as possible is a real problem in school, and dealing with the issue is a distraction from teaching.
At Kinross High in Perthshire, some parents received a stinging note telling them: "The length of your daughter's skirt is such that she spends a great deal of time pulling it down. It detracts her attention from the learning process."
Last week another Scottish head, Robert Kelly, rector of Berwickshire High in Duns, said short skirts were encouraging "inappropriate thoughts" among boys. Kelly, who had gathered together female pupils for his lecture, referred to a recent anti-rape advert. >>> Tracy McVeigh, social affairs editor | Sunday, September 19, 2010
