They Want to Let Their Hair Down

The teenager showed up at his new school to start the school year. But as it turned out, he wasn’t ready: His bangs were too long.

Having failed a much-feared rite of the Thai public school system—the hair inspection—he was subjected to another. His teacher grabbed a pair of scissors and clumsily chopped his hair, right in front of the class.

“My classmates were all staring at me. I felt so embarrassed,” says the 15-year-old from southern Thailand, who asked not to be identified for fear of reprisal from his teachers. The incident, he says, remains “a scar in my heart.”

For decades, public schools in Thailand have policed not only students’ manners but also their looks. In addition to wearing uniforms and keeping their nails tidy, students may be required to either get a crew cut or trim their hair at the ears. Dyed hair isn’t allowed. Running afoul of these rules can mean an unwanted haircut in class, a humiliating experience many Thais vividly remember into adulthood.

Students have long campaigned for loosening the rules, which a military government introduced in 1972. It was a key demand when they took to the streets in 2020 to protest the military-backed government then in power. That year, a group of 23 students petitioned Thailand’s Supreme Administrative Court to overturn the hairstyle directive, which was enforced by the Ministry of Education.

In March 2025, the high court overturned the rule. Now schools set their own policies. But students say these oppressive military-style rules remain, especially in rural areas.

This past July, at a school in Ratchaburi Province, west of Bangkok, teachers cut the hair of 50 girls who were wearing their hair past the name tags on their uniforms. After the students shared their experience on social media, the school issued an apology and vowed to review its disciplinary rules.

A teenager showed up at his new school to start the school year. But as it turned out, he wasn’t ready. His bangs were too long.

He failed the hair inspection, a much-feared rite of the Thai public school system. Then his teacher grabbed a pair of scissors and cut his hair, right in front of the class.

“My classmates were all staring at me. I felt so embarrassed,” says the 15-year-old from southern Thailand. He asked not to be identified for fear of punishment from his teachers. The event, he says, remains “a scar in my heart.”

For decades, public schools in Thailand have policed students’ manners and even their physical appearance. Students must wear uniforms and keep their nails tidy. They may also be required to either get a crew cut or trim their hair at the ears. Dyed hair is not allowed. Breaking these rules can mean an unwanted haircut in class. It’s a humiliating experience many Thais remember into adulthood.

A military government introduced the rules in 1972. Students have long campaigned for loosening the rules. In 2020, it was a key demand during protests against the military-backed government then in power. That year, a group of 23 students petitioned Thailand’s Supreme Administrative Court to overturn the hairstyle directive.

In March 2025, the high court overturned the rule. Now schools set their own policies. But in rural areas, these oppressive military-style rules remain in place, students say.

This past July, at a school in Ratchaburi Province, west of Bangkok, teachers cut the hair of 50 girls. Their hair went past the name tags on their uniforms. The students shared their experience on social media. The school issued an apology and promised to review its disciplinary rules.

Thai students aren’t alone. Around the world, in places such as Ghana, El Salvador, and Japan, some schools still enforce policies that restrict how students wear their hair, often in spite of official bans on the practice. In the United States, school dress codes have also targeted hairstyles, especially those of students of color, prompting 28 states to pass laws prohibiting such discrimination since 2019.

Yet while Americans see the issue as one of individual expression, to many in Thailand it’s about nothing less than democracy itself.

“Those in power want to turn us into citizens who are easy to rule,” says Laponpat Wangpaisit, 22.

Thai students aren’t alone. Around the world, in places such as Ghana, El Salvador, and Japan, some schools still enforce policies that restrict how students wear their hair. The strict rules are often in place despite official bans on the practice. In the United States, school dress codes have also targeted hairstyles, especially those of students of color. Since 2019, 28 states have passed laws prohibiting such discrimination.

Yet while Americans see the issue as one of individual expression, to many in Thailand it’s about nothing less than democracy itself.

“Those in power want to turn us into citizens who are easy to rule,” says Laponpat Wangpaisit, 22.

Thailand is a constitutional monarchy. It holds regular elections to select its House and Senate leaders and local administrators. But an unelected establishment made up of the military, the judiciary, and the royal family often rejects the will of voters.

The lack of adherence to the high court ruling is an example of that, students say. Laponpat started a rights group called Bad Student that students can turn to and report what they consider violations suffered at the hands of teachers. His group still receives at least one complaint a day, most of them about hair, he says.

Thailand’s Ministry of Education has declined to comment.

Thailand is a constitutional monarchy. It holds regular elections to select its House and Senate leaders and local administrators. But an unelected establishment exists that is made up of the military, the judiciary, and the royal family. It often rejects the will of voters.

The disregard of the high court ruling is an example of that, students say. Laponpat started a rights group called Bad Student. Students can report to the group what they consider violations suffered at the hands of teachers. The group receives at least one complaint a day, most of them about hair, Laponpat says.

Thailand’s Ministry of Education has declined to comment.

Watcharin Keawtankham, a barber in the western town of Mae Sot, says he regularly fixes botched haircuts administered at school. Last year, he posted a photo on social media that showed a big bald spot on a young boy’s head. It was punishment from a teacher, he says.

“I felt sorry for the kid,” the barber adds. “The only way to fix it was to give him a really short buzz cut.”

The Supreme Administrative Court said hair regulations were harming children’s mental health. Some schools, like Wat That Thong High School in Bangkok, are more liberal about students’ hairdos.

“It is their head—nobody should dictate what they want to do with it,” says teacher Kaokorn Suksangiamkul.

Phatit Kalaphakdee, 16, goes by Rin and wears a middle part, curtain bangs, and a ponytail. She transferred to Wat That Thong last year because her previous school threatened to punish her if she didn’t cut her hair.

“Hair can give you confidence, or it can ruin your day,” says Rin, who’s transgender.

On a recent Friday morning, students were crowding at the main gate of her school, where a teacher was inspecting their fingernails. Those with long or dirty nails were sent back to the end of the line and told to use clippers hanging nearby on a string.

Rin was among those told to cut their nails. She shrugged it off and complied. It’s her hair, not her nails, that she wants to keep long.

Watcharin Keawtankham, a barber in the western town of Mae Sot, says he regularly fixes the bad haircuts administered at school. Last year, he posted a photo on social media that showed a big bald spot on a young boy’s head. It was punishment from a teacher, he says.

“I felt sorry for the kid,” the barber adds. “The only way to fix it was to give him a really short buzz cut.”

The Supreme Administrative Court said hair regulations were harming children’s mental health. Some schools, like Wat That Thong High School in Bangkok, are more open-minded about students’ hairdos.

“It is their head—nobody should dictate what they want to do with it,” says teacher Kaokorn Suksangiamkul.

Phatit Kalaphakdee, 16, goes by Rin and wears a middle part, curtain bangs, and a ponytail. She moved to Wat That Thong last year because her previous school threatened to punish her if she didn’t cut her hair.

“Hair can give you confidence, or it can ruin your day,” says Rin, who’s transgender.

On a recent Friday morning, students were gathered at the main gate of her school. A teacher was inspecting their fingernails. Those with long or dirty nails were sent back to the end of the line. They were told to use clippers hanging nearby on a string.

Rin was among those told to cut their nails. She shrugged it off and complied. It’s her hair, not her nails, that she wants to keep long.