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Here we go again: Here's another arbitrary school ban that's up for discussion. This time around a high school in England has outlawed both makeup and mirrors, according to TODAY Moms. (As a quick review, three different schools recently have barred students from: raising your hand in class, saying "Bless You," and calling kids "Him" or "Her.")
The newest rule: No makeup and no mirrors at a co-ed public school, Shelley College, in northern England. (And no, it’s not "college" as we know it -- the ban affects 13 to 16 year old girls.) Apparently, girls were spending way too much time primping in the bathroom.
"The makeup ban is about getting girls to focus on what’s important in school, which is learning and not being distracted with makeup and wanting to check it all the time," head teacher John McNally told TODAY Moms. "The mirror ban is to break a cycle where social groups started to emerge in the bathroom."
I have to say: I think this is an example of extreme measures for minor indiscretions. I absolutely agree that young girls shouldn’t be putting on more makeup than the "Jersey Shore" cast to sit in chem class. Too much makeup can be a distraction, and really should be reserved for after school. The same goes for short skirts and obscene T-shirts.
That’s why I don’t see enforcing some kind of common-sense makeup rules as cruel and unusual -- it’s simply asking students to come to school looking respectable. That being said, I think allowing a little cover up (it is the age of acne, after all) and some tinted lip color isn’t really going to harm anyone. (I'm all for a ban on full makeup for moms dropping off or picking up their kids from school -- not that anyone's asking.)
As for the no mirrors policy, well that one is just plain weird. Most people like to take a little peek at their reflection after they freshen up -- don’t you? A girl might want to simply fix her ponytail after gym class. I’m pretty sure it’s not the mirrors causing all of the peer pressure drama in the bathrooms -- it’s the fact that the girls are hanging out in there unsupervised when they should be in class, and no one is stopping them.
