A man with a two-block hairstyle = in Tokyo
The number of schools that ban the “two-block” hairstyle, in which both sides are shaved, is rapidly decreasing. According to a “survey on school rules” conducted by the Chiba City Board of Education targeting municipal junior high and high schools, it was prohibited in 38 schools (out of 57 schools) in 2020, but this year it was prohibited in 1 junior high school (out of 56 schools). (inside) only. It is said that the trend of respecting student autonomy is encouraging the relaxation of school rules. (Azusa Hirano)
The survey results will be published in September. The city board of education has been conducting this survey on its own since fiscal 2020, in response to the nationwide discussion of excessive “black school regulations” that are unsuitable for the times and reality. One City Board of Education official says, “Until recently, Two Block had an “unusual” impression.” The number of schools banning it has dropped to 14 in 2022 and 2 in 2023.
Why did the school ban it in the first place? Katsuhiko Tsuruoka, Superintendent of Education, said, “There was a question as to whether she would be able to take entrance exams for high school with that hairstyle.” However, he also believes that this mindset is rapidly changing. “We are no longer at the stage where two blocks are good or bad. We are in an era where we are accepting the voices of children and changing school rules. This is reflected in the school.”
Superintendent Tsuruoka, who has experience coaching junior high school baseball, said that after Keio (Kanagawa Prefecture representative) won at Koshien in the summer of 2013, where players with shaved hair stood out, hair styles have become more liberal in club activities at each school. pointed out. “Most of today’s baseball team members have long hair. Keio made me feel like a new era had arrived,” he says, reflecting on the magnitude of his influence.
According to the survey results, many schools have also abolished other school regulations. The color of underwear worn under shirts and blouses. The number of schools designated as white, black, or beige has decreased from 28 in 2020 to 3 this year. The three schools have said that the reason they continue to specify colors is to “prevent the color of female students’ underwear from showing through.”
We also investigated whether each school conducted a hair survey, and found that the number increased or decreased in the range of 7 to 11 schools each year. The reason appears to be that hair surveys are often carried out independently by students, such as through student council activities, rather than by teachers. Superintendent Tsuruoka said, “Currently, students are thinking about their appearance and rules.I think it’s good that there are various changes in the trend of valuing children’s thoughts.” There is.
