Page 7 - IAV Digital Magazine #542

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Japanese Schools Prohibit Ponytails, Stating That It “Sexually Excites” Men
‘They’re worried boys will look at girls,’ said Motoki Sugiyama, a for- mer middle school teacher, ‘which is similar to the reasoning behind the white- only underwear color rule.’
‘I’ve always criti- cised these rules, but because there’s such a lack of criticism and it’s become so normalised,
students have no choice but to accept them.
He taught for 11 years in the Shizuoka area at five different schools, all of which had out- lawed ponytails.
Other school standards control the color of chil- dren’s socks, the length of their skirts, and even the form of their
brows.
They can’t tint their hair, and if it’s anything other than ‘black or straight,’ they’ll have to show it’s their natural color or style, accord- ing to reports.
Motoki uses TikTok to write about the restric- tions, and she claims that kids seldom get a proper explana-
tion.
He went on to say that the directives can be inconsis- tent at times, with certain schools permitting shorter haircuts that would display the nape of the neck anyhow, much like a ponytail.
However, Motoki stated that many schools have strict policies in place to prevent
students from going too far — comparable to British institutions.
Undercut haircuts, for example, are prohibited because kids may test the limits of what is accept- able.
‘If the two-block [undercut] is okay, then some stu- dents might start saying the mohawk should be okay,’ he explained.
However, he claimed that
many of the restrictions were ‘unreasonable de mands,’ misogy- nistic, and inhibit- ed self-expression in general.
According to Vice, the schooling laws, known as buraku ksoku or ‘black rules,’ stretch back to the 1870s.
They were rigor-
ous at first, but as time passed, they began to relax. They still want to make sure that everyone is the same.
Parents and stu- dents urged the Japanese govern- ment in June to amend school advice across the country, but few schools have seen any changes.
‘Many schools ignore notices that aren’t legally binding or that don’t have penal- ties,’ Motoki said.
However, after students objected, Hosoyamada Junior High School in Kagoshima now allows students to wear black, gray, or navy blue underpants.
Ponytails, on the other hand, are still prohibited.
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