Regulations in the Handbook

Regulations in the Handbook:

2.1 Male students must have short hair sloped at the back. The hair at the sides must not touch the ears, sideburns must not pass half the ear and the hair at the front must not fall below the eyebrows.

2.4 Male students must be clean-shaven and neat in appearance; no moustache or beard is allowed

3.1 Female students with shoulder-length or longer hair must have their hair neatly tied up. Fringes must be kept away from the face at all times. Only simple black, white or dark blue hair accessories may be worn.

Hair check:

The trepidation. The heart palpitations. The spiking and slicking back of the hair. The frantic tucking of fringes behind the ears. The prickly strands of beard sticking out from the blue polymer face covering. The scrutinising eyes of the teachers. The mumble of prayers to pass the hair check.

Hair is an integral part of identity for many individuals. It conveys ‘powerful messages about a person’s beliefs, lifestyles, and commitments,’ according to Deborah Pergament in her 1999 article in the Chicago-Kent Law Review. As an extension of our identity, it innately informs us of who we are. This does make sense: oftentimes, regulations and restrictions around hair can make individuals feel disoriented when they are unable to exercise their stylistic choices. Hence, guidelines concerning hair are intricately linked to an individual’s mood and how they want to be perceived.

To safeguard this identity, individuals go to great lengths to protect it: be it hiding in the electrical closet in the classroom during hair checks or coiling one’s beard into the mask. However, between those two methods, both strategies have proved to be equally successful. This was concluded based on frequent observations of scraggly, spiky hair growth inching out from beneath the porous surgical masks of several male individuals in the school compound, and the astounding ability of the individual to fit into the closet and close its door entirely.

Nonetheless, the majority of individuals are unsuccessful in defending their identity.

Suddenly, a hand is outstretched. Its thumb and index fingers pinch a spiked strand of hair, pulling it down to its original length. The firm spikes promised by the styling gel are broken, and the eyes of the individual shift upwards, attempting to gauge the length of the lock of hair. It is beneath his eyebrows, and a sigh immediately leaves his mouth. It’s time for a haircut.

But hair is more than just hair.

Victoria Anna Lam (6.11)