What's the deal with the uniform?

It’s no surprise, then, that the 1950s and ‘60s were marked
by a plethora of women’s and social justice movements, which bucked
against the oppressive systems that had long permeated Japanese society.
Women made their way to the forefront of the political sphere, leading
movements to abolish institutions like the prostitution system
implemented by the Japanese ruling elite, and influence government
policies in favor of the lower classes.

But most fascinating was the formation of legions of sukeban,
which loosely translates to “girl gang” — a movement born in the flames
of defiance and independence, in a flurry of combat boots and organized
crime. These gangs of teenage girls were a formidable force in postwar
Japan, with the sole purpose of challenging the traditional
sexualization and oppression of women that had historically defined
Japanese society

The sukeban was a truly unique subculture in Japanese society, one that unfortunately has been forgotten and its original purpose changed.

The term 'sukeban' was created by Japanese police to categorise and explain the rise of teenage all-female street gangs in the 1960s. Meaning 'delinquent girl' or 'girl boss', the sukeban were groups of teenage girls that protested against society with their altered fashion, radical solidarity and being involved in offences such as, violence, theft and drug use. But these gangs of rebel girls used their actions and their fashion to prove that being strong and being a woman wasn't contradictory.

They protested against mainstream gender norms and feminine expectations in a male-dominated society. The idea of a woman 'behaving badly' went against the gender norms of how a woman is supposed to act, and provided a thrilling way to challenge society. In addition, the expectations of how a woman dressed were restricting and sexist, and the sukeban weren't going to accept this anymore.

The main motif of the sukeban started with their school uniforms. The western sailor-style uniforms were seen as an unwanted and restricting symbol of tradition. Popularised by the education system in the early 20th century, these sailor-style seifuku uniforms became unwanted by the young girls of Japan in the turbulent 1970s.

What do we talk about?

By the early 1970's, the sukeban began to create their own memorable
aesthetic by modifying their school uniforms. Sleeves were rolled up,
hair was dyed bold colours, school shoes were replaced with Converse
sneakers, skirt lengths were increased and blouses were cut short to
expose the waist. Even after members of the sukeban graduated, they
continued to wear their uniforms and would customise them even further;
embroidering roses and anarchic kanji characters and gang symbols into
their blouses.

If anyone can locate some of these symbols from 60s or 70s Uniforms, and share them with the group, I'm sure we'd all love to discuss the meanings behind them, or just appreciate the style!