If the school rules explicitly stated “no facial hair”, then he certainly should not have had any.  If there wasn’t anything about it in the rules. . .then things get a bit less certain.  The school certainly has some right to regulate personal appearance.  But has there been any previous policy regarding moustaches?  Is this kid being singled out, with this “rule” only now appearing for him?  You can’t really tell any of the important facts from this article.

Madmouse - 03 July 2009 03:30 PM

Since he’s Asian, I’d think a bleached blond mustache might be even more obvious!

You’d be surprised at the number of naturally blonde or red-haired Asians, though. . .

Naturally blonde Asians? ‘Asians’ being people whose ethnic background is East Asia. I’ve known a lot of Asians and none have been blonde. Or ginger. At all.

Renquist - 03 July 2009 06:42 PM

Naturally blonde Asians? ‘Asians’ being people whose ethnic background is East Asia. I’ve known a lot of Asians and none have been blonde. Or ginger. At all.

Look around northern or western China, at the very least.

...Will he have to get rid of that unibrow, too??  I think it’s only obvious because it’s dark.  If he were a white kid…no one would have noticed it…unless it got some food crumbs stuck to it.

Renquist - 03 July 2009 05:32 PM

The school has no right to dictate when he should start shaving.

The key point being that it’s a private school, so yes they do.  In a way.  If they don’t allow facial hair and he starts growing it then he needs to shave.

I wonder if they have a similar rule about girls shaving their legs and armpits. I doubt it.

Maybe, maybe not.  But those would not fall under “facial hair” so it doesn’t matter in this instance.  (And if the dress code/appearance standards are that strict I have little doubt they establish such things for girls.)

Of course, I’m speaking from a U.S. perspective and from having worked in the customer service industry pretty much my entire life where dress codes and personal appearance guidelines and expectations are fairly strict.

And I would just like to go on record as saying that if I ran the school and the kid did shave the mustache I would still not allow him back until his father did something about his hair.  What in the world crawled on top of his head and died?  (ETA: Gotta love those rings he has on, too.  WTF?)

I am sure this boys parents knew before he even started at this school what the dress code and such entailed. (Heck, our kids were in public school, and every year they brought home a weapons contract (NO WEAPONS ALLOWED), a drug contract,(NO DRUGS EITHER) and a handbook acknowledgment (A MUST READ!!)).  And the fact that they are objecting due to the old wives’ tale that shaving makes one’s facial hair come in thicker is crap.  This is just another story of a cocky kid that doesn’t like to do as he’s told.  The fact that the parents are supporting this astounds me. (Well maybe not, seeing how some parents raise their kids nowadays.)

All I know is that as a kid if the school sent me home for something, I had better get it corrected NOW and get my butt back to school or my father would know the reason why. (This usually had DIRE consequences.)

If the father doesn’t want his son to shave…he could use something like Nair to get rid of it…or wax it.  My guess is…one wax and the kid prefers to shave it off.

Tah - 03 July 2009 09:29 PM

And I would just like to go on record as saying that if I ran the school and the kid did shave the mustache I would still not allow him back until his father did something about his hair.  What in the world crawled on top of his head and died?  (ETA: Gotta love those rings he has on, too.  WTF?)

Am I looking at the wrong picture?  What’s wrong with the kid’s hair?  It’s cut short and almost nothing on the sides and I don’t see any jewelry at all.  Is there another photo somewhere everyone’s looking at?

[I do have to admit that guys who shave their hair too short or completely off make me uncomfortable.  There is a difference I think in generational senses though.  To me a completely shaved head on a guy is rather like an alarm…..... I initially shun away because the appearance feels to me as if he’s a roughneck, a skinhead, or has dangerous characteristics.  A little natural hair softens an overbearing masculine-bully appearance.  I have to give time to those I meet who have decided to so shave because I know it’s just my own sensibilities being alarmed.  Often a monster is really just a teddybear.  Still, I don’t like it.  I accept natural baldness, but not a man deliberately shaving everything off (including all his body hair….........that’s just outrageous)]

I will admit the young man looks a LOT older than 14 years old but again I think that’s his ethnicity.  A lot of these children are just more hair endowed even at birth. 

Yes, Acci, I have seen quite a few dishwater blond Asians, and that’s their natural color.

Maegan - 04 July 2009 07:14 AM

If the father doesn’t want his son to shave…he could use something like Nair to get rid of it…or wax it.  My guess is…one wax and the kid prefers to shave it off.

waxed mustache... ehm…

Accipiter - 03 July 2009 06:49 PM

Renquist - 03 July 2009 06:42 PM

Naturally blonde Asians? ‘Asians’ being people whose ethnic background is East Asia. I’ve known a lot of Asians and none have been blonde. Or ginger. At all.

Look around northern or western China, at the very least.

Indeed. In Qinghai and Xinjiang (Uyguria) ginger or blonde are by no means uncommon.

hulitoons - 04 July 2009 09:37 AM

Tah - 03 July 2009 09:29 PM

And I would just like to go on record as saying that if I ran the school and the kid did shave the mustache I would still not allow him back until his father did something about his hair.  What in the world crawled on top of his head and died?  (ETA: Gotta love those rings he has on, too.  WTF?)

Am I looking at the wrong picture?  What’s wrong with the kid’s hair?  It’s cut short and almost nothing on the sides and I don’t see any jewelry at all.  Is there another photo somewhere everyone’s looking at?

The father.