In Japan, boys in secondary school wear an outfit modelled on 19th Century Prussian army uniforms. Called the gakuran, it consists of a dark jacket with stand-up collar and buttons down the front, worn with trousers.
Girls, on the other hand, wear a dress called the sailor fuku, based on European naval uniforms.
But as Christopher Hood, director of Cardiff University's Japanese Studies Centre, points out, the designs have nothing to do with Japan's own military past.
Rather, they date from the establishment of the formal education system in the 1870s, when Japan looked to Germany, France and Britain for ideas.
Interest in school uniform is strong in Japan, he adds, with fashion parades to show off different schools' latest twist on the designs. Even characters in manga, or cartoons, are often dressed in gakuran.
And, as in many countries, uniform policy is strictly adhered to.
"There's a set length for skirts and teachers would take out tape measures to check," Dr Hood told the BBC News website. "Of course kids in Japan, like everywhere, look for ways to bend the rules."
Source: What's in a school uniform?
Related:
Shiga Prefecture's schoolgirls boast of skimpiest skirts in Japan
Perverted Teacher Stole Ex-pupil's Panties
No comments:
Post a Comment