European heatwave causes boys and men to frock up
The 30 boys have received support from thousands of Brits. Photo: Twitter/Devon Live
With the United Kingdom in the grips of what the nation is calling a heatwave, the British stiff upper lip is wilting, as boys and men don skirts to beat the heat.
Boys at a school in Exeter in England’s south-west wore skirts to school, instead of the officially mandated grey slacks, in protest at the school’s strict and draconian uniform code which bans the wearing of shorts.
Devon County Council spokesman David Beasley said about 30 boys from Exeter’s Isca Academy turned up to school in skirts on Thursday (UK time) after the country experienced five straight days of temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius.
Pictures and footage of the boys went viral and made headlines worldwide, as the boys turned up in short-sleeved white cotton shirts, school ties and the grey plaid skirts usually reserved for the girls.
While one pupil told local news site, Devon Live, that the boys had been put into isolation as punishment for their actions, they also reportedly received an outpouring of support on news sites and forums around the country.
Other reports said none of the boys were punished, as Isca’s head teacher, Aimee Mitchell, said in a statement the school was doing its utmost “to enable both students and staff to remain as comfortable as possible”.
How the BBC reported the boys’ skirt protest
And while days over 30 degrees Celsius are part and parcel of an Australian summer, the UK appears to be wilting in the heat.
The mercury hit 34 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, making it the UK’s hottest June day since 1976. Parts of the UK sweltered for a fifth consecutive day in temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius before a cool change on Friday, creating plenty of fodder for media in a nation obsessed with the topic of weather.
In another incident, Joey Barge, 20, of Aylesbury, north of London, was sent home for wearing shorts to work.
But instead of changing into trousers, the enterprising call-centre worker donned a dress, documenting his wardrobe change on social media.
— joey barge (@jBarge_) June 19, 2017
While it was uncertain from media reports whether Mr Barge did return to work, or whether his boss happened to notice his posts, the employer ultimately relented.
“Due to the extremely warm temperatures,” a message circulated in his office read, “it has been agreed that gentlemen in the office are permitted to wear 3/4 length shorts.”
And the skirt craze wasn’t limited to the eccentric Brits. Bus drivers in Nantes, in western France, angry at a ban on wearing shorts, made their own bold statement in response by wearing skirts – matching skirts, it seems – to work.
Temperatures in France hit 38 degrees Celsius this week, sparking weather alerts across the country.
Fellow driver Gabriel Magner told the paper: “Our bosses offices are air-conditioned, which isn’t the case with the majority of our vehicles. To spend more than seven hours in a vehicle in 50 degrees Celsius temperatures is not easy. Above 30 degrees Celsius the management could put a heatwave plan into action and allow drivers to wear shorts.”
