In response to the gender ambiguity that has become fashionable among young people, No 18 High School of Zhengzhou, capital city of Henan province, has issued 28 masculine standards and 20 feminine standards for students to follow, so that the boys look strong and manly and the girls charming and tender. It is absurd for the high school to promulgate such standards, says an article on Youth.cn. excerpts:

The standards were established on the basis of the school's detailing of its students' characteristics and credit should be given to this effort.

But even though some students' personalities may be attributed to the lack of proper sex education, imposing unified standards is too idealistic to serve as a remedy.

Worse, it might have a negative effect on young people's diversified characters.

It is wrong to classify all boys who speak in a high voice and all girls who are spirited and bold as androgynous.

Each boy or girl is an individual.

Some boys are born with introverted personalities and some girls naturally behave as tomboys. This is normal and happens all the time, it is not the result of the gender ambiguity that has become fashionable among the young.

Moreover, any consideration on this issue should not ignore the country's changing social mores. Today the students enjoy a more open society than their parents' and young people can pursue their own unique personal style. Adults should try to be more tolerant.

In a diversified society, there shouldn't be such standards to typecast young men and women. After they finish their education, young men and women can find a job that suits them, it doesn't matter if it was traditionally associated with the other gender. Therefore, schools should prioritize cultivating people with wisdom and aspirations and respect students' choices for self-development.

(China Daily 03/02/2012 page9)