Two students from the Second High School Attached to Beijing Normal University demonstrate their science project to Michelle Obama (middle) and Peng Liyuan (third on the right) on March 21. Photo: IC

Chinese Net users cooed over Michelle Obama's fashion picks during the US first lady's recent visit to China. But it was the baggy uniforms at an elite high school in Beijing she visited that really drew attention.

The loose tracksuits triggered perhaps the most heated discussions about Chinese school uniforms yet.

"Chinese school uniforms are the ugliest in the whole world," one ex-schoolchild posted online, a thought shared by most who have had to endure the ill-fitting clothes over the last few decades.

Yuanyuan (pseudonym) still can't shake off her memory of being a primary schoolgirl, trapped in a rigid and oversized tracksuit for six years.

Things didn't change for the better when she got to a high school in Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. "The summer uniforms for girls were almost transparent, which was really embarrassing for young girls," she told the Global Times.

Yuanyuan said that students reported it to the school, but received no response. "We have to wear a vest inside the uniform," she said, adding that students just report their size, pay up, and then accept whatever the school chooses.

An online poll by Sina Weibo showed that about 89 percent of over 21,000 respondents thought Chinese school uniforms are "too ugly" as of Monday.

School picks

Uniforms are compulsory in most Chinese schools. "Part of my job is to supervise whether the students wear their school uniforms," Li Lingyun, secretary of the Communist Youth League Committee at Beijing No. 55 High School, told the Global Times.

Chinese schools usually have more students than foreign counterparts, and it is more convenient for teachers to recognize and supervise students if they wear uniforms, Li added.

Besides unified management, many believed that wearing uniforms can avoid comparisons of wealth among students.

"If some of the rich students wear expensive clothes that students from poor families cannot afford, it would generate a comparative mentality," said a manager of a Shandong-based uniform manufacturer told the Global Times.

The manager, surnamed Zhang, said that over the years, orders from schools in the province have been mainly for sportswear.

Sometimes there are requests for Japanese-style or Korean-style school uniforms, which are more fashionable, Zhang said, "but it would cost more and many parents don't approve."

Zhang said that there is a price limit set by authorities on school uniforms, and for schools in rural areas, simple style and low cost are the main choices.

Prices for school uniforms range from around 100 yuan ($16.1) to 300 yuan, depending on quality, regions, and seasons.

"I think sportswear school uniforms are comfortable and casual despite the fact that they are ugly," Yuanyuan said. "You don't need to struggle about what to wear because you have no other choices, and you don't need to take care of them because they are neither expensive nor precious."

For many, school uniforms are a symbol of youth. However ugly they are, they may be missed later. But Net users argued that the memories would be more precious if the clothes were less ugly.

Campus culture

"Uniforms represent the campus culture and the spirits of schools," Li believed.

School uniforms provide an identity for students and raise their awareness of being members of certain schools, Li said, adding that the loose tracksuits are criticized because many think they demonstrate a loose spirit.

"The current uniforms look terrible and reflect no cultural characteristics," one Net user wrote.

Another user said that over-sized tracksuits make children, who are supposed to be like fresh apples, look like sacks of potatoes.

Lou Renyuan, 26, was concerned about the issue when he went to high school in Shanghai years ago and even launched a specific research project.

"The students, who have a sense of aesthetics and should be making the choice, are not allowed to be part of the process," Lou said.

Lou suggested that students should be the ones to choose the design of uniforms and parents can look over the quality of uniforms.

However, no one ever emphasized the importance of aesthetics to his generation or listened to students, Lou added.

Many believe that the recent discussion has prompted the recognition of aesthetics in education, which is a step forward in China's schools.

"School uniforms and architects are ideal penetrating points for modern schools to introduce aesthetics into education," Lou said.

School uniforms in some cities, especially in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, have won applause from the public for their pleasant design or their effort to involve students in choosing the design.

Self-identity

Psychology and education expert Hu Bo believes that school uniforms could also help teenagers to develop self-identities.

"Neither schools or parents pay enough attention to the individuality of young students, especially those who are going through puberty," Hu said.

Some schools and parents think that plain uniforms can help students concentrate on study rather than appearance and can even help avoid puppy love.

Lin Shui (pseudonym) told the Global Times that while in school, her teachers emphasized "inner beauty" and encouraged students to keep a low profile, especially girls.

"If you care too much about appearance, then you are not a good student," Lin said.

Young students are going through a period where they want to be seen as a distinctive figure, and want to be appreciated by peers, Hu said, adding that it's neither reasonable nor effective to suppress this.

Educators should lead the students to discover their own beauty and help them better demonstrate it, and keep them involved in the process of designing or choosing their own uniforms, Hu suggested.

Hu believed the discussions might trigger some reform on school uniforms in the future.

Li, on the other hand, said that even if the change of uniforms is not easy, the discussions themselves are a sign of progress in education.

"This topic has nothing to do with scores, which have usually been the main worry about schools in the past," Li said, adding that it shows that educational concepts are now shifting.