Japanese students that are born with curly hair or hair in a color other than black are required to show proof that they were born that way, a Japanese newspaper reported recently.

　　日本一家报纸最近报道称，头发自然卷、或者头发是黑色以外颜色的学生必须提供证明他们天生如此。

　　Close to 60 percent of the 170 public high schools surveyed in Tokyo require students to show some kind of proof that they are wearing their natural hair. Some schools also require students to provide childhood or middle school photos as proof, according to the newspaper.

　　在东京接受调查的170所公立学校中，近60%的学校都要求学生出示某种证明他们的头发是自然的。根据这份报道，一些学校还要求学生提供他们童年或者中学时的照片作为证据。

　　Parents also have to fill out and sign a form stating that their child was born with curly or say chestnut-brown hair. It is reported that on average about a dozen students per school file such statements every year.

　　家长们也必须填写并签署证明，表明他们孩子天生就是自然卷或者栗色头发。据报道，每年每所学校都会有十几个学生提供这一证明。

　　Some school administrators say some students insist that it is their natural hair even though it’s dyed, and that’s why they now ask their guardians to take responsibility for it.

　　一些学校的管理人员表示称，某些学生即使染发之后也会坚持说自己的头发是天然的，这就是为什么他们现在要求监护人承担责任的原因。

　　It also helps them avoid enforcing school rules on hair by mistake.

　　这也有助于他们避免错误地执行学校对学生头发的规定。

　　Most public high schools in Japan have rules on hair, as is the case in many Asian countries. But not many ask for proof of this kind. The rules on hair and clothes vary from school to school. Some schools in China reportedly require that boys keep their hair within a certain length, while girls are either asked to keep their hair short or wear their long hair in a ponytail.

　　日本大多数公立学校对头发都有规定，而亚洲许多国家都是如此，但要求出具这种证明的并不多。不同学校对学生头发和着装的要求各不相同。据报道，中国某些学校会要求男生的头发只能在一定范围之内，要求女生要么留短发、要么扎起来。

　　But the whole hair ban thing is ridiculous. Case in point, while ponytails are required in some schools, they are banned in others for being too "provocative."

　　但是对学生的头发做文章是非常荒谬的。举例来说，某些学校要求女生扎马尾，但是另外一些学校却禁止这样做，因为太“挑逗”。

　　Why should it matter what hairstyle students wear? If you were to ask a school administrator, it’s to protect the adolescents from getting distracted by appearances and help them focus on studying. Some schools ban short skirts, makeup and jewelry for the same reason.

　　为什么要在学生的头发上做文章?如果你问一个学校管理者这个问题，他可能回答你这是为了让青少年不因外观而分心，帮助他们专心学习。某些学校还因为同样的原因禁止学生穿短裙、化妆和戴首饰。

　　It’s a contentious and emotionally charged issue, especially for teenage girls, and the reason is almost always sexual. Anything you do to your hair might be interpreted as an attempt to get attention from boys. Wearing long hair down? Enticing. Ponytails? Provocative. Short? Now you are just showing too much of the back of your neck.

　　这是一个有争议且感性的问题，尤其是对十几岁的女孩儿来说，而这个问题的原因几乎总是和性有关。你对自己头发的任何小动作都可能被认为是想吸引男孩的注意。长发垂肩?你在诱惑谁?马尾辫?你在挑逗谁?短发?你的后颈露的太多了!

　　And of course, let’s not forget that as a grown woman, you are likely to be judged on whether you pay enough attention to your looks.

　　当然，我们不要忘记作为一个成年女性，人们很可能会从你是否在自己的外表上下够功夫来评判你。

　　For boys, it’s almost always that they might be "bad." Too short - bad. Too long - bad.

　　对于男孩来说，人们总是认为他们可能“变坏”。太长——坏;太短——坏!

　　But what should kids think when they see their teachers change their hairstyle or dye their hair? Has hair become something that’s for grown-ups only?

　　但是当学生们看到自己老师换了发型或者染了头发时会作何感想?头发已经成为大人们的特权了吗?

　　Why do educators think of attention to one’s appearance as the enemy? Sure, some kids might get distracted by it, but banning it is not going to help. If anything, it only makes it more irresistible.

　　为什么教育工作者会认为关注自己的外貌是一件不好的事儿?当然，某些学生会因此而分心，但是禁止却起不到作用。如果有作用的话，它只会让事情更加难以抗拒。

　　What a hair and clothes ban really does is to discourage being different. Maybe we should give kids some credit and let them do what they want with their hair. I’m sure they won’t turn out worse than the adults of today.

　　对头发和着装的规定事实上是消灭学生的个性。也许我们应该相信孩子，让他们对自己的头发多一点儿自由。我相信他们不会比今天的大人们更糟。

（编辑：何莹莹）