The Japanese must think I'm a harlot.
Because of the ultra-humid weather lately, I have been wearing a lot of skirts to work to keep the crotch sweat at a minimum (probably TMI, but I don't care. It's funny). So I come to work wearing a mustard yellow skirt that hits just above my knee (the following is the only good picture I have of myself in said skirt): Almost as soon as I get in the teacher's office in the morning, Hello Kitty Lover Gym Teacher points at me and says, "Miinii-sukaato!" (mini skirt). I look down, look up at her, and say (in Japanese), "No, this isn't a mini skirt. Wait-- is this considered 'mini' in Japan?" She confirmed that indeed, it was a mini skirt by Japanese standards. Shocked, I try to explain that this skirt is not a mini skirt, and that it's appropriate in the U.S. She just shook her head and chuckled.
When I was a kid I went to a weeklong Bible camp every summer. The camp was run by pretty conservative Christians, and the dress code was equally as conservative. The most infamous-- and most easily enforcable-- rule was "No shorts or skirts that reach 3 inches above the knee or more." They even made little 3-inch wooden measuring sticks to check people on their way out of the cafeteria. I checked the aforementioned mustard yellow skirt and it did indeed pass the 3-inch test. I thought if I could safely wear the skirt to Bible camp, it would be ok in Japan. I guess I was wrong.
Is Japan that staid that a skirt that hits just above my knee is not appropriate for teachers to wear to school during the most humid time of the year? Suffice it to say, I felt uncomfortable and exposed the rest of the day.Labels: Daily Photo, Japanese |
Name: Ruthie
Unless you got feedback that it is indeed mini from more than one source, take it at face value and forget it. It's much more tame than much of what I saw over there.