The sailor outfit is the most commonly used school uniform in Japanese junior and senior high schools. It is also something of an international symbol of Japanese pop culture: in China the uniform has become fashionable among young people in recent years due to the extreme popularity of Japanese anime and drama, which often features characters wearing a sailor outfit.

Obviously, school uniforms are prevalent in other Asian countries as well. Here’s how news site jznews.com.cn weighs in on several female school uniforms from around Asia:

■ Cutest School Uniform: Japan (pictured above)
Sought after as fashion more than an outfit to wear to class, the sailor outfit is a symbol of Japanese pop culture and is an object of desire for those who want to look like their favorite anime character.

■ Sexiest School Uniform: Thailand

A tight white shirt that clearly shows off body lines, and a miniskirt that would break dress code anywhere else. Some might frown upon the outfit as being too revealing, but this is the kind of generosity that makes Thailand “The Land of Smiles.”

■ Most Conservative School Uniform: Malaysia

On the opposite end of the spectrum is the Malaysian school uniform. As a majority of Malaysians are Muslim, this shouldn’t come as too surprising.

It seems that each country’s respective culture and values are reflected in its school uniforms. That being the case, surely people should wear their uniforms with pride.

However, when it comes to their own country’s school uniforms, the Chinese youth are filled with hopelessness: the primary uniform for Chinese schools is a tracksuit.

There’s so much tracksuit that, you can’t pick out the guys from the girls when looking from afar. Not only that, but the outfit reportedly remains the same from elementary to high school, hence the fascination with other country’s school uniforms. Incidentally, they have dubbed their own country’s uniform as The Most Sporty.

Certainly not very fashionable, but perhaps this focus on performance over aesthetics says something about the Chinese spirit.

■ Source: 荊州新聞網 (Chinese)

Translation: Steven
[ Read in Japanese ]