Hairdo to prevent arousal of naughty intent

 

Gender-biased conservatism is hardly the exclusive domain of hardline religious groups.

In Japan, one of the most developed nations in the world and presumably reasonably liberal, girls still have to conform to certain values so that boys do not get sexually aroused.

According to a recent report on vice.com, former middle school teacher Motoki Sugiyama is on a mission to change things, and he is starting with ponytails and pigtails.

In many Japanese schools now, any hairdo that reveals the nape of the neck is seen as immodest at best.

Education authorities fear that girls with their neck exposed would draw the attention of boys. Not unlike the reason some fundamental religious groups give for insisting that women should have every inch of their skin — from head to toe — covered.

After all, you never know how easily a member of the male species can lose control of his libido through no fault of his own … or so it seems.

There are very strict rules governing the uniform of the Japanese schoolgirl, right down to the colour of her knickers.

For a start, they are allowed only white undergarments lest coloured ones show up under their white uniform and, God forbid, trigger the latent lust in their male classmates into a sexual frenzy.

On the bright side, things are changing. In response to complaints from students and their parents, the Japanese government has asked school authorities to revise rules that are considered draconian.

But we can’t say the same for those in other parts of the world who continue to enforce such rules based on their understanding of prescribed canons.

The trouble with such rules is that they not only undermine women but also make men seem not in control of themselves and, by extension, weak.

They are based on the assumption that men are incapable of taking control of their sexual urges, and therefore women must help by lying low or making themselves less attractive.

The man is seen as an animal, ready to satisfy his basest of sexual desires at the sight of a bit of skin of the opposite gender.

It is unfortunate that such primitive values continue to pervade modern society.

Some things just don’t change. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.