Schoolboys wore skirts to protest a ‘no shorts’ rule despite hot weather (Picture: BBC/APEX)

You’ve got to hand it to the boys at Isca Academy in Exeter.

Faced with sweltering temperatures and a no-shorts uniform policy, they rocked up to classes wearing skirts.

And the skirts suited them.

thumbnail for post ID 6636865School considering letting boys wear skirts with uniform

But something struck me.

Apart from it being draconian to make boys wear long trousers in summer, why don’t boys wear skirts anyway?

Maybe it’s time to scrap gendered uniform lists and the stupid invisible social rules which dictate what men should wear and what women should wear.

The school boys weren’t the only ones to leave the trousers in the wardrobe and pull on a skirt.

Overheated French male bus drivers also put on a nice pencil skirt to protest against ‘unacceptable working conditions’.

Sometimes it feels like there isn’t many reasons why it is better being a woman than a man.

Why do men have to swelter in trousers on hot days? (Picture: William Perugini/Getty)

Pay gaps, periods, slut-shaming, menopause, being able to pee wherever you like, to name but a few.


But there are many reasons why I am glad I was born a female.

thumbnail for post ID 672932714 situations Brits are not equipped to deal with

Topping that list is that when the UK begins to melt under the heat of the sun’s rays, as it has done this week, then I can wear a skirt or a dress.

But, when you think about it, it’s strange that men don’t switch from their stuffy work trousers and shirts to a sundress in high temperatures too.

Britain isn’t built for heatwaves, lots of places don’t have air-conditioning which makes working in that environment the equivalent to working inside a kiln situated on the sun while wearing a thick woollen onesie.

Legally, there doesn’t seem to be an issue, so it seems mad it is only deemed wrong for men to wear skirts for fashion reasons alone.

Particularly when you consider just how comfortable it is to wear a dress or skirt.

I wouldn’t dream of wearing jeans or trousers in hot weather.

I can cool off with my arms out and wear thin material while men still have to put up with sweat-stained shirts and crotch-sweat inducing trousers.

Fashion has a lot to answer for.

At least he was allowed to remove his jacket (Picture: XiXinXing/Getty)

Even wearing tailored shorts in the office will most likely see men the subject of gossip at the water cooler.

In non-Western countries like Sri Lanka, South and Southeast Asia and India, men wear skirt-like clothing. And what links these countries – they’re bloody hot.


Even in the cold climates of the UK, historically men and women both wore shapeless tunics until the fashion became to wear them with hose or stockings as hemlines became shorter and tunics became tighter.

Eventually, men dropped the tunic and wore breeches which, in turn, became trousers in the 19th Century and males have sweltered ever since.

thumbnail for post ID 6729358Get the umbrella ready as summer comes to windy end after baking week

I know it would take a massive sea change for all men to feel comfortable to dress in stereotypically female clothing but it all seems a bit absurd that we have created these rules.

It’s not even about hot weather, our obsession with boy clothes and girl clothes needs to stop no matter what the season.

It starts even before the child is born with parents buying blue, pink or ‘neutral’ clothes if they’re not finding out the baby’s sex before it arrives.

My six-year-old daughter decided this year that she didn’t want to wear the traditional summer dress but felt more comfortable in grey shorts.

She has had one or two comments that they’re ‘for boys’ from other children but it has otherwise been fine.

Had my son arrived in class in a gingham summer dress, I have a feeling I would have been called into school quicker than you can say ‘gender inequality’.


Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe we’ve moved on more than I’d expect and perhaps nobody would bat an eyelid.

I’m not so sure.

But isn’t it about time we had gender neutral uniform lists and let men enjoy the comfort of a nice a-line skirt especially when the temperatures rise?

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