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Opinion | Rigid gender norms have no place in modern, diverse Hong Kong
- Arbitrary school rules like short hair for boys deny young people the chance to develop their identities – which is what education should be all about
- As a society, we must recognise that it’s possible to champion inclusivity and self-expression while still being mindful of tradition
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A 17-year-old student recently filed a complaint to Hong Kong’s equality watchdog, arguing that his school’s restrictive hair rules for boys constituted sex discrimination. His ongoing campaign – to “free the hair” for boys – has drawn much attention, as well as flak from certain figures in Hong Kong politics.
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Let me be blunt here. It’s 2022, and there is no place for rigid, unfettered gender norms in any civilised society.
It shouldn’t be controversial to say that individuals possess core freedoms of identity and expression. The former extends to appearing in ways that are integral to their self-conception and aesthetic values. The latter entails their right to dress, to wear make-up, and to engage in behaviour that sends out unmissable signals.
From a less liberal perspective, it is part of growing up to experiment, to contest and to behave in ways that may ruffle a few feathers.
The aged groupthink – that boys can only look one way, girls the other – has been widely challenged all over the world. From K-pop icons redefining the way we conceptualise masculinity and femininity, to Ru Paul’s Drag Race inspiring queer subcultures to take on entrenched gender binaries, the world has, by and large, moved on from rigid traditionalism.
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