From the length of students’ socks to the color of their underwear, Japanese schools are notorious for the strict requirements for their students to wear. But one rule has been criticized not only for its ridiculousness but also for the reason behind it.
Motoki Sugiyama, a former middle school teacher, said school administrators told him that girls must not wear a ponytail because exposing the nape of their necks could “sexually excite” male students. “They’re worried boys will look at girls, which is similar to the reasoning behind upholding a white-only underwear color rule,” Sugiyama said.
In June, protests by students and parents against the rules prompted the Japanese government to ask all prefectural boards of education to review strict school rules. Some organizations have really changed their ways, but decades-old practices are very slow to disappear.
The ban on ponytails is one of many strict laws, known as Borako Kosuko(Black Rules), imposed on students in Japan. The list of laundry restrictions also dictates the shade of students’ underwear and socks, the length of the skirt, and the shape of the eyebrows. Hair color is another controversial issue – some schools ask students for proof of photographs if their natural hair color is not strictly “black and straight”.
