on a funny note – I just asked my very-Yeshivish friend in Lakewood if she knows what ankle high shoes are. She told me that her 9 year old wears them. I laughed and said, “well, I guess she’s rebellious then.” She was like, “chas v’shalom!”
So you might be right, ZD, in theory, about the rule being extreme. But l’maaseh, I still stand by what I said previously.