In June 2016, the management of Inventure Academy, a progressive international school on the Whitefield-Sarjapur Road, was shocked by the case of a 16-year-old boy who initially refused to attend his graduation ceremony because his teacher had asked him to cut his hair. Dhruv reportedly told the school that it was a case of gender bias – if girls can grow their hair, why can’t boys?
“We realised he had a point. We asked him to petition us and put forth his case. He did so. He said that in a school where individuality is emphasised, he expresses himself this way. We couldn’t argue with him. Also, traditionally, Indian men keep their hair long, he said. Soon, the school’s child welfare committee met and discussed the matter,” recalls Noorain Fazal, founder of Inventure. Dhruv was allowed to keep long hair, but he was told to take care of his hair like the girls at school – tie it in tails or use headbands. Dhruv went to his graduation ceremony with his hair tied up.
Policy changes
Based on this one case, Inventure changed its rules. The school now has the same policies about hair length and hair colour for boys and girls. “Inventure Academy believes in being sensitive and inclusive, and hence, boys and girls can keep long hair if they wish. However, hygiene and grooming must be maintained. Out of respect for their seniority, students of class 11th and 12th are allowed to have highlighted hair but garish bold colours and global dyeing are to be avoided,” reads the school’s code of conduct. But the story doesn’t end like a fairy tale everywhere.
Many schools are in trouble
Haircuts in schools, especially for boys, have been a bone of contention between students and the management. While most schools believe in short haircuts – even shorter than a number 2 in the barber’s lexicon – some new-age schools are re-evaluating their policies and changing the way students present themselves.
A rebellion against the strict hair code is brewing, and landing principals in trouble. “More and more parents are now coming forward to petition us to allow their children to have long hair,” says Manila Carvalho, principal of Delhi Public School East.
Parents say when their children are forced to cut their hair too short, it affects their confidence. “Some parents ask for permission to keep long hair because their boys are interested in modelling, sports, music, etc. Students themselves ask us ‘what is wrong in keeping your hair a little longer, because they see it in the pictures of their role models, creative people and even holy persons’. Some also compare with international schools, where policies are different,” says Manila. “It becomes difficult to answer their questions. There is discipline on one hand and mental health on the other. Should we stick to the rulebook or allow students to be themselves? Where should we draw the line?”
Sheela Benegal, principal of Capital Public School, says the school is sometimes lenient to avoid confrontation with parents. “Boys don’t cut their hair mainly for two reasons – either parents don’t have the time to take them for a regular haircut or parents feel there is nothing wrong with the hairstyle. Parents of this generation are more lenient, allowing children to do things their own way. However, we try to inculcate in them the idea and purpose behind our insistence on following the uniform code,” she says.
Sheela says, “If the hair is falling on the forehead or just above the eyes, it causes trouble for the child, especially when he is writing. Such rules have been made in schools for the welfare of the students.”
Schools that pay special attention to keeping boys’ hair short include prominent institutions like Bishop Cotton Boys’ School. The school currently has 6,000 boys studying there. Principal Alistair R A Freeze says, “This has been our policy since inception and we believe in students keeping short hair. It develops their personality and teaches them to look neat, proper and attractive and maintain hygiene.”
What students and parents want
Several schools in Bengaluru confirm that they conduct regular checks to keep track of boys’ hair length. If a student is found violating the haircut rules, these schools send reminders to parents or isolate their children. “My mother works in the late evening shift and it is difficult for her to take me for a haircut except on holidays. If my hair grows even a little, teachers immediately spot it and regularly taunt me until I cut it. I was asked to write notes while standing, or stand outside the classroom until I cut my hair short again,” says a 14-year-old studying in a school in south Bengaluru.
He explains how most boys don’t feel good with short hair. “It affects our self-esteem. We feel embarrassed when our hair is too short; our friends make fun of us. Some of us even wear caps when we go out to avoid embarrassment.”
Abhilasha (name changed), the mother of a student who graduated from a popular chain of CBSE schools, recalls how she wrote to the school asking for special permission for her son to grow his hair. “He has curly hair and during the pandemic, he grew it long. He loved it, a lot of people idolised him. When he went back to school, he became the school headboy, but was asked to cut his hair,” she says. Abhilasha remembers how her son was not willing to do so because he knew it would affect his body image. “It was also a time when we, as a family, were going through some problems. I spoke to a counsellor and she suggested I talk to the school about this concern. I didn’t want it to become a big issue affecting my child’s studies. I asked the school if they could be lenient about it as long as it didn’t affect anyone else – that it wasn’t vulgar, dirty or untidy. I told them this would allow him to focus on more important matters to him. And the school understood that,” she says.
Abhilasha says her son thought he looked best when his hair was long. “Adolescents go through a lot of changes in their bodies. This is the time when they are more conscious about their looks. They are aware of the changes in their bodies and feel best in a certain image. Different children deal with this issue in different ways. When my son spoke about this, all I wanted was to ease his anxiety and help him focus on something better,” she adds.
‘Choose the right school’
“The rule of allowing long hair or any other dress code, I think, depends on the philosophy of the school. Some schools may be more traditional and exclusive while others may have more open policies. It is probably up to the parents to ‘choose’ a school they identify with as a family, based on the philosophy they want the child to grow up in, and socialise the child with that place accordingly. The parent should be the mediator between the philosophy and rules of the school and the child adapting to it,” says Dr Isha Sharma, assistant professor at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS).
“It may be confusing for parents as to where to draw the line between a child’s individuality and rules. However, it is important to understand that children need to understand the concepts of rules and systems that exist in different places in the world. Schools are an early example that helps build children’s awareness and understanding and prepare them for more complex systems that they will face later in life,” she says.
Boys and Haircuts: Then and Now
Since the industrial revolution, men have been expected to prioritise functionality over appearance, paying more attention to the task at hand and minimising appearance. Decoration and experimentation have rarely been encouraged in men’s clothing and hair styling. “In India, the influence of colonialism has led to the widespread adoption of the Etonian uniform system in most Indian schools,” says Shobana, a fashion and lifestyle stylist and guest faculty at the National Institute of Fashion Technology-Bangalore, who teaches styling and image making. (The Eton crop, a woman’s hairstyle named after the famous British residential school, as reportedly used by Eton boys, was to be kept short and slicked down. The tradition of short hair continues in most Indian schools, as it has become synonymous with discipline.)
“The tradition of short haircuts in Indian schools dates back to the British schooling system, which they blindly imitated. However, for example, American schools do not follow the uniform system,” she says. “The concept of uniform is intended to symbolise uniformity, which is why the practice of keeping short hair for boys continues. In traditional Indian schools, individuality is rarely encouraged, the focus is mainly on learning different subjects. Most Indian schools give very little room for students to experiment with their hairstyles,” she explains.
General Alfaaz looks east, not west
Bangalore school children are increasingly daring to sport slightly longer hair, which can also be linked to changing cultural influences. “Unlike the times when external cultural influences were mostly Western, mostly American or British, we have a new generation of alpha kids who are becoming fans of Asian culture, especially Japanese and Korean culture,” says Shobna. “Men from these geographies do not have a rugged look. Instead, they are well-groomed and sophisticated. They do not keep beards, but pay attention to skin care.” “In the past, long hair was only associated with expression of orientation, sexuality, association with hippie culture. Now, it does not have to be that way. It is just considered cool. The sense of expression is more prominent in the new generation. They are more individualistic and they demand the right to be themselves,” she says. Also, male adornment and long hair were prevalent in Indian culture. “In this way, long hair is also a way of embracing the past,” she adds.
In short
l Child policies are a subset of a broader uniform policy
Common justifications for short hair are occupational health and safety, sun protection, school culture, school image, equality among students (through a uniform appearance), and legislative compliance or community support.
Rules for hair focus on acceptable length, colour and styling
Hairstyles most frequently banned in Queensland schools – dye; unruly long hair; extreme ‘or’ non-conservative’ styles; rat tail; undercut; mohawk; shaved sections; shaved tracks, dreadlocks, mullet, completely shaved
(From a study of Queensland high schools in Australia by Kayla Mildren)
