Peruvian president proposes bans on nail polish and short skirts in schools
President Keiko Fujimori announced a plan to prohibit nail polish, makeup and short uniform skirts in schools, alongside stricter discipline measures.
While touring a peripheral Lima school, President Keiko Fujimori presented a suite of reforms aimed at restoring discipline, including bans on nail polish, makeup, hair dye and long hair on boys, as well as limits on the length of school uniform skirts. Education minister Jose Chang said the government would also permanently expel the most unruly pupils and require teacher permission for cellphone use. The pair framed the initiative as a way to curb bullying, sexual harassment and classroom violence.
Two feminist NGOs - the Manuela Ramos Movement and the Flora Tristan Peruvian Women’s Center - rejected the logic, arguing that controlling appearance does not prevent assault. The national human-rights coordinator labeled the plan populist and authoritarian. Authorities said the measures will undergo a public consultation before any final decision is made.
Why it matters
The proposal could reshape daily life for Peruvian students and spark debate over personal freedoms versus school discipline.
How the sides frame it
HIGH AGREEMENTBoth centrist and right-leaning coverage describe the same proposal and note criticism from rights groups, but the centrist outlet highlights the goal of restoring school discipline and the feminist/human-rights backlash, while the right-leaning outlet stresses the president’s law-and-order framing and the notion of ‘order’ returning to classrooms.
CENTER
The government’s plan is presented as an attempt to restore discipline in schools, but it is sharply criticized by feminist and human-rights organizations.
RIGHT
The proposal is portrayed as a law-and-order measure by the right-wing president, emphasizing the need to bring ‘order’ back to classrooms.
The right emphasises
- order should not only reign in the streets, it must also return to our schools
- right-wing President Keiko Fujimori
- rights groups criticised the plan
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