The Hour

There has been outrage at a letter sent home to parents of one Glasgow school this week. It warned that tight trousers and short skirts on pupils of Kings Park Secondary could attract the attention of perverts and advised that teenagers wear “appropriate” baggy and long clothing.

The fury has been caused by the letter’s author at the Glasgow City Council seeming to suggest that by what they wear, the kids take some responsibility for being victims of a paedophile.

Obviously that’s outrageous. No one is responsible for being a victim of a sexual attack, not ever as Scottish Rape Crisis says. No one – man, woman or child – ever asks for it. And I certainly don’t want anyone in authority in education passing on that message to my children.

Meanwhile, in the real world...

No, I’m not about to suggest school pupils cover themselves up to make them less appealing. I don’t that would be possible - a young, healthy human being on the brink of sexual maturity and full of energy is exceedingly attractive, whatever they wear. They have glowing skin, clear eyes and firm strong bodies – what’s not to admire? And it’s got nothing to do with the wearing of a gymslip or not.

We’re not talking about little boys and girls here, we are well in the gray area of young people who in other circumstances would pass for adults.

I don’t think it’s too controversial to acknowledge there are quite a few grown ups – mostly men, but some women too – who find that package sexually exciting. The difference is a responsible adult can check and control themselves. They will suppress the thoughts and absolutely never, ever allow them to influence their behaviour. That has to be the difference between being a paedophile and not. And what these kids wear to school won’t make a difference to that.

However, the school authorities are right to insist on standards of clothing for school. They’ve just got their reasons all wrong.

A short skirt and tight trousers might be fashionable and show off the wearer’s assets – however newly acquired – to great advantage at a party or on the beach, but they aren’t right for school.  Children, mine included, need to learn that some clothes are right for some settings and some just aren’t.

Wearing the wrong thing can tell the world you’re ignorant, lazy or simply you don’t care. How could you ever expect to get a job if you don’t know how and when to wear a suit?

Something too dressy, too fancy or too revealing in the wrong situation doesn’t make you vulnerable to sexual predators, but it is distracting and it does make you look foolish and feel uncomfortable.

Let’s not let the crass stupidity of one council employee get in the way of an important lesson about respect. Wearing the right thing in the right way shows respect – choosing to dress and behave in an appropriate manner is an important life lesson that seems to have been forgotten in all this fuss.

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