Thailand has a history of being a more conservative society. This includes laws and expectations ranging from how basic formality is supposed to be conducted to specifics like dress and hairstyles.
In the 1970s the nation of Thailand was going through rocky times as their government went through multiple identity changes. Shifting from a military dictatorship to a civilian run government and then back to the military would throw the nation into crisis after crisis. After the military seized back power in 1975, they would establish multiple different practices and laws that would help define societal expectations and norms. This included a law defining the hairstyle of all students and children in the country, that being short hair for boys and ear-length bobs for girls. The schools were also given permission and encouraged to enforce this ruling either by removing the child till the hair was fixed or by cutting the hair themselves.
As the country would begin to liberalize and westernize, a majority of their older conservative norms would begin to change and adapt. This includes, as of recently, the issue of children’s hairstyle restrictions. After decades of student activists fighting to overturn this ruling, in 2020 the country would begin to relax this rule. A court ruling would deem the 1975 ruling unconstitutional and restrictive of the student’s right of expression. It would mainly allow the children to grow their hair longer, however, would still instill some restrictions. These would be that boys’ hair couldn’t cover the nape of their necks and that girl’s hair had to be tied up. This also didn’t address things like dyed hair, and so those still were restricted and removed in schools across the country.
Despite the victory and the more liberalized rules, many still felt that the law was too restrictive and didn’t represent the students and their wants. In addition, schools were still enforcing the 1975 restrictions and cutting the student’s hair without their permission. This would culminate in 2023 when the education minister Trinuch Thienthong would urge students, schools and parents to negotiate on their own common ground on what is acceptable in schools.
This is effectively turning the decision over to individual schools to follow what guidelines they wish to follow. This is no different than the 2020 referendum and it would end up producing the same effects. Some schools would follow little to no restrictions, allowing students to wear their clothes however they like, while others would once again follow the 1975 ruling and keep the restrictive hairstyles.
Due to more outrage against these schools and their methods and restrictive practices, Thienthong would speak out again to reinforce the ruling and urge schools and parents to do what is in the interest of the students. Along with this, a court ruling last Wednesday would once again push for these school rules concerning hairstyles to consider the freedom and dignity of students. As of now, no official protections have been put in place to help secure the rights of students and assurance that they will always be allowed to present themselves how they want to.
This comes at a time when the country is moving rapidly into a more liberal era with the passing of the same sex marriage bill not being too far behind this new change to societal norms. This large shift helps to display and show a growing change not only in Thailand, but in the world in general as people from young to old are moving towards independence and true expressionism.
