What goes and what doesn't in terms of clothing at school? Mia Kirshner in Not Another Teen Movie (2001). (Photo: Columbia)
In Germany, a pencil in the neckline of a 15-year-old girl was recently fined 400 euros. It wasn't a horny teacher who put him in there, nor a pedophile teacher, but a teacher. Her reasoning: despite repeated warnings, the student appeared in class too revealingly dressed.
Good for her, she was a woman and not a man, otherwise the waves of outrage would have swept up like a tsunami. But while she got off lightly, everyone agrees that teachers, regardless of gender, have no business in their students' cleavage, least of all physically. Visually, it can't always be avoided. That's why the woman's suggestion was understandable, even if it was extremely clumsy. Pupils who are too casually dressed can actually disrupt the lesson.
However, the influence on the boys is not the real sticking point. At that age they already have hormone levels and the associated obsession that distraction doesn't need a bib. Not even the widest turtleneck jumper can compete with that. Anything else would be cause for concern. No, the teachers are particularly disturbed by the lush insight.
Anyone who takes a sharp breath now is one of the nice and decent. Congratulations, you are rare. I remember very well how, back in the softened 80's, we knew how to leverage your breast base, to amusement or confusion. As required. During the break, we girls laughed our backs at the German teacher, who stammered turgidly when we purposely leaned over too far to breathe a question at him. And we giggled and imagined how not only his tongue reacted swollen to our Lolita fuss. Outrageous? nope Normal.
Anyone who discovers the power of their impact wants to know how far it goes. At least if he luckily hasn't burned his fingers on it and the game doesn't tip over. In our case only the teacher was helpless and above all harmless. (If you happen to be that German teacher: Sorry!)
The topic has remained topical and has become even more acute. That's what young girls tell me, but also well-known high school teachers. For many of them, the issue of physicality in class and the general suspicion of sexual harassment have become a stressful factor. I never heard directly that an injured student was left lying around in gymnastics to be on the safe side, maybe that's just a modern legend. But that's not far from reality.
That's why I'm very much in favor of a dress code in schools. And not just to protect the girls from boys, teachers and slander. Also not to protect the boys from distraction of the feminine kind. But also to protect the teachers from accusations, which are mostly not true. For this, the dress code does not have to be very rigorous and bring with it the much-feared return to the prudish world bid of the fifties.
Speaking of the fifties: My mother used to tell us, to our great delight, how the nuns at her school would let the girls stand at the front of the stage before school plays to see if they could peek under the girls' skirts . “They made a real effort. They just wanted to see for themselves," my mother said and we thought it was funny. Since then, the situation has long since reversed, you can see it - regardless of whether you like to look or not.
And here's a tip for girls from an ex-pupil who enjoys provoking: Showing that what's there is great - showing what it is, given away.
