Skin-tight & sexy

Every year they're warned and every year they disregard the warning. Students just want their uniforms . . .

 

Flashy, skin-tight uniforms are the latest rage for female university students while their male counterparts are slipping into loose-fitting jeans with waists cut low enough to reveal their boxers.

But as both sexes prepare for the beginning of the new semester next month, university administrators are updating their dress codes and reminding students they will also be graded on their attire.

Kasetsart University has banned skirts with low-cut waists as well as jeans that reveal boxer shorts, said Surachai Charudej, director of its Student Affairs Department.

Offenders will be banned from lecture halls and will lose marks, Surachai said. "We will warn the freshmen about the issue at orientation day," he said.

So far students are ignoring the warnings. As they pore over clothing racks, they are grabbing sexier, attention-grabbing attire, vendors say.

Skirts are even more daring this year than last year, noted a vendor at Bang Kapi's Tawanna market. "Some are as tiny as 30cm from waistline to hem, and there are short skirts with front, rear or side slits, depending on your preference," he said.

"The SSS size was the smallest shirt size last year, but this year our smallest is the SSSSS," he said.

"Noi", a 21-year-old student at Prince of Songkla University, said she had been wearing close-fitting long shirts and skirts with low-cut waists since she was a freshman. "Wearing a close-fitting shirt makes me look better," she said, adding that she dieted to fit into her uniform.

"It's difficult to find simple uniforms with long skirts and big shirts at shops now," she said.

Usa Malison, from Mahidol University, said trendy students were picking up their uniforms at MBK and Chatuchak market.

Supaporn Suvarnarpa, the owner of MBK's Moomtong at Bonanza, said female students seemed more determined than ever to squeeze into tight-fitting uniforms.

"It's so disturbing," said Dr Chanvipa Diloksamphan, the director of the Student Affairs Department at Rajabat Institute's Bansomdej campus. "While we are trying to campaign for proper dress, many shops near the university offer improper uniforms."

She said the university had always had a strict dress code.

Students who violated it by wearing see-through shirts or short skirts would lose marks and be reported to their parents, she said.

Still, the university's efforts seem to be falling on deaf ears.

"Each year, we warn freshmen about how they dress, but when they become seniors they always dress more improperly," Chanvipa said.

"Some students say if they don't dress according to trends, their friends will tease them," she said.

It is difficult to control students, she said.

Chatrarat Kaewmorakot, Onnida Aditapsatit

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