There has been a ban on making ponytails for girls in schools in Japan. Everyone is surprised to know the reason behind this. Girls have been told that the back of the neck can ‘sexually arouse’ boys. This is not the first time this is happening in Japan’s schools, but even before this, all kinds of restrictions ( Japan School Rules ) have been implemented. Here rules have been made on the length of socks to the colour of underwear.
The Vice World News report quoted a former middle school teacher as saying that school officials told girls that boys could be “sexually aroused” by the appearance of the back of their neck. The teacher said, ‘They are worried that boys will see girls, which is the same as the rule of white underwear.’ He said that students have to follow such rules because there is very little condemnation.
Schools had advised a ban.
In a 2020 survey, one in 10 schools in the southern province of Fukuoka city recommended a ban on ponytails. This is one of the more dangerous rules in Japan, which is called Buraku Kosoku. This seems less strictness of schools and more arbitrariness. Undercut hairstyles are not allowed here. In this, too, the back part of the neck is visible at the same level as the ponytail. At the same time, the bob hairstyle in which a lesser part is seen is not banned.
Comparison with North Korea’s rules
Schools do not even give proper explanations to the students on issuing such rules. Some people say that these rules of Japan are similar to North Korea. Last year, North Korean leader Kim Jong Unbanned skinny jeans, mullet hairstyles, and piercings in certain body parts. He had said that it attracts the youth towards Western civilization. Here hairstyles like mullet and spikes are considered ‘anti-social’.
