Img1We
always tend to idealize Japanese student life thanks to the colorful stories we
see in anime, but the reality in classrooms is much grayer and more controlling
than it seems. A recent survey of more than 100 high school students conducted
by the Jukusen platform revealed widespread frustration with the antiquated
education system. The results showed that almost sixty percent of students
totally disagree with the regulations of their high schools, and the most
alarming thing is that seven out of ten say that the authorities have never
given them a logical justification to impose these school rules.
Absolute
control over physical appearance
Through the students' responses, truly irrational norms that seek to erase any trace of individuality came to light. The institutes impose everything from the length and exact design of the socks to the total prohibition of plucking the eyebrows or using basic products such as sunscreen and lip balm. To make matters worse, the scrutiny reaches extremely invasive levels when dictating the exact color of the underwear that adolescents must wear. In addition, during the harsh cold seasons, students suffer incomprehensible restrictions on the use of coats, sweaters or scarves, demonstrating that for the authorities, maintaining impeccable visual uniformity is much more important than the health or comfort of the students themselves.
Restrictions
that cross school walls
Institutional
surveillance does not end when the starting bell rings. The young people
expressed deep anger at guidelines that prohibit them from stopping at stores
or parks on their way home, and even limit the number of key fobs allowed in
their backpacks. Social isolation is also a heavy factor, as the use of
smartphones is totally banned during school breaks and festivals, times when
students are simply looking to communicate or capture memories with their
friends. There are even more peculiar cases in certain schools, where pupils
are forced to wear thick thermal nets in full graduation, are required to say
"thank you" a minimum of ten times a day, or are banned altogether
from modern music clubs on the pretext that they are a bad influence.
Curiously, despite their disagreement, the vast majority of young people confessed that they continue to abide by the rules for fear of reprisals, although social pressure is causing some institutes to discreetly relax their inspections of hair and uniforms. Knowing that the original purpose of these measures was to promote equality among peers.
