Her eyes gazed at the partially empty dresser. She anxiously searched for her white, button-up, collared shirt and her dark navy blue, knee-length skirt which had drops of black ink from last week. She pulled them out before it was too late. With her hand on the skirt, all she wished for was to wear what she likes and become what she desires. She wanted to wear the school pants/shorts.
Almost everyone wears school uniforms. They are plain, monochromatic, uncomfortable, and, well, tacky. Nobody wants to wear them, but there's nothing we can do about that. But many students desire to at least have a choice in what they want to wear, whether it's pants or skirts. They get called out, stared at, yelled at, just because they'd prefer skirts instead of shorts or vice-versa. "Skirts are for girls and shorts are for boys". You have probably heard this statement in one form or another in your life. But times are changing, so are people. And that is nothing to be feared of.
If a girl desires to wear pants to school, she/he/them should be able to. If a boy wants to wear a skirt to school, she/he/them should be allowed. The school shouldn't impose such restrictions on the students that would bar them from expressing themselves. No judgment should be passed on these students. In a TikTok video posted quite a while ago, 15-yr old Mikel Gomez, who identifies as a male, was sent home after wearing a skirt to school to support women’s liberation and challenge gender norms.
Mikel's video inspired men across Spain to wear skirts to schools, offices, etc., which became marked as 'Wear a skirt on school day'. Schools should also inspire values of respect and diversity to support students who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community as well. They should be accepting of people who decided to come out and wish to embrace their real selves.
When I was younger, I used to think that my school was the safest place on Earth. But now that I think about it, when it comes to these types of issues, a school should be one place where students can feel safe and secure. But reality doesn't always bear the sweetest fruit. These people continue to constantly face bullying, threats, inequality in even the slightest ways, and they can't even decide whether they want to wear pants or skirts.
This is one of the biggest flaws in our education system; not only in India but in schools with uniforms worldwide and it’s at a crucial time that this matter is being prioritized and addressed.
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Cover photo by Stephanie Hau on Unsplash