Does it regulate socks length or underwear colorJapanese schools are notorious for their strict laws regarding what students can and cannot wear. haircut ban this is just one of the many rules contained in the so-called “buraku kosoku“. A long list of restrictions also imposes the color of underwear and socks, the length of skirts and the shape of the eyebrows. Another point of contention is hair color: some schools require students to show proof of the nature and color of their hair (only if the latter is not black and straight) And in lately this is the same hairstyle of the pupils what about all the attention.
Many schools ban ponytails
there is no national statistics on the number of schools which still ban ponytails, but a 2020 survey shows that about one in ten schools in the prefecture Fukuoka (south of the country) forbids this hairstyle.
Motoki Sugiyama, a former high school teacher, recently told VICE that school administrators advised girls not to wear ponytails because exposing the back of the head could be “sexually arousing” to male students. More precisely, says the old teacher :
They are afraid that the boys will stare at the girls, which is similar to the arguments in favor of the rule of wearing only white underwear. I’ve always criticized these rulesbut since criticism is very rare and has become the norm over time, students have no choice but to accept it.
Mr. Sugiyama taught for 11 years at five different schools in Shizuoka Prefecture, about 150 km southwest of Tokyo, where ponytails are banned. He gave himself for personal mission condemn these unreasonable demands placed on students. It must be said that the code buraku kosoku, which we told you about earlier, which combines all these directives, dates back to the 1870s, when the Japanese government established its education system. The rules under consideration have become more restrictive between 1970s and 1980sin particular to combat the rapid growth harassment and bullying.
Most of these directives are currently being discussed, and a few voices go up to try and figure out why a bowl cut that opens the back of the head is allowed, but a ponytail is not. It remains to be seen whether in time these recommendations will be developed. And if you want to know more about Japanese culture, you can read our previous article, which provides 40 evidence that Japan is not a country like others.