No Leggings RORO

What with all the kabe-don pictures and that cat that looks permanently surprised, 2014 was a busy year for us here at RocketNews24. But it seems there is one more important story from last year that we have entirely neglected to bring to your attention – until now.

In blogs, on Twitter and in one hugely-popular article on website Naver Matome, Japanese women have been talking about sukāto haki-wasure – the act of accidentally going out with no skirt on. But what on earth is the cause of this phenomenon? And what can be done about it?

Naver Matome’s article on sukāto haki-wasure (スカート履き忘れ, literally “forgetting to wear a skirt”) has almost a million page-views and counting. Let’s take a look at some of these anecdotes.

Our first story comes to us from 20-year-old Shū, who lives in Tokyo. In a blog post back in January 2014, she wrote about going out and suddenly realising she had forgotten her skirt. Even after realising her mistake, there was no time to go home and fix it because she would have missed her train. Shū decided, therefore, to just strut her stuff in her leggings instead:

“Now I look like Lady Gaga… How embarrassing!”

Ameblo

Another woman actually blogged an apology to anyone who had seen her that day:

“I felt a bit cold at the bus stop – realised I had forgotten my skirt … To all the commuters this morning, SORRY!”

And another told of her ever-forgetful daughter doing the same thing:

“She could feel the breeze! That’s why she realized that she wasn’t wearing her skirt. Thankfully she noticed in time to come back and change – imagine if she’d arrived at school like that.”

Za! Sekai Gyoten News is a Japanese TV show that covers unusual and shocking human interest stories from around the world, predominantly from the United States. That’s not to say that Japanese stories don’t get a look-in though: like the segment that aired in 2013 about high school student Kana, “The girl who went to school with no skirt on”.

Kana, the report tells us, loves to hang around at home in just a T-shirt and her underwear. But one day, a series of unfortunate events leads to…well, you guessed it. Rushing to school on her bike, Kana realises she’s forgotten something very important.

▼ If you like cheesy music, goofy acting, or girls with no skirt on, you’ll love this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_WR1fPnYKQ

So what’s brought about this unlikely new phenomenon? Well, ironically it looks like the chilly winter weather could be partly to blame. As every hosiery-wearing schoolgirl knows, you put your tights on before your skirt, meaning the skirt is probably the last item of clothing to go on. And once you’ve got your legs in those nice cosy winter tights, you might well forget that they’re tights, not leggings or other no-skirt-required items of elasticated clothing.

▼ “I know why people commit sukāto haki-wasure! Those thick tights you can buy these days feel just like leggings.”

▼ “I was cold so I’m wearing tights for the first time in ages. I can understand now why some people end up forgetting their skirt!”

https://twitter.com/mi80ko27ro/status/539538582914887680

The Naver Matome article offers up one other suggestion as to why these women don’t realise they’re not wearing a skirt: maybe they just can’t see their bottom half because their boobs are in the way. We’re not sure what the solution to that particular problem is, really. A full-length mirror in the hallway, perhaps…?

If you’ve ever forgotten an essential piece of clothing (or spotted someone else who has), let us know in the comments!

Sources: Naver Matome, Ameblo (1, 2), Yomiuri Komachi
Featured image: RoRo’s World