Students Aileen and May, both 15 years old, are members of a small feminist reading club in Bicester, Oxfordshire, England. The two students realized in a group discussion that students from other schools are trying to ban the sale of school uniforms in sex shops.
Unpleasant Experiences and Feelings of Insecurity
School uniforms are widely used in pornographic videos. Aileen said, "We all unanimously agreed. We wanted to take it a step further; we are calling for a ban on school uniforms from all pornography." For this reason, they started a petition to raise awareness on this issue.
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Many of their classmates, according to the petition, have had unpleasant experiences while wearing their uniforms. Some have been harassed since the age of 11. These experiences have made them feel fear, shame, and insecurity. May said, "I don’t wear my school uniform outside of school. I don’t like wearing it outside."
Worrying Statistics and Community Opinion
Their petition also references a report from 2018 published by the charity Plan International. According to this report, 35% of 1,004 respondents aged 14 to 21 experienced unwanted sexual attention while wearing school uniforms. Eight percent also reported being filmed or photographed without their consent by a stranger.
May continued, "Something that should be innocent and a symbol of a community has now been discredited in society. And our understanding of what a school uniform represents has been distorted by this ugly media." School uniforms are common in many countries, aimed at reducing class and financial disparities as well as preventing harassment.
In the UK, uniforms are mandatory in almost all schools and nurseries, meaning that nearly all children aged 4 to 16 wear them. Outside of school, children have no way to escape unwanted attention.
May said, "We just want to prevent people from thinking about children and school uniforms in that way." They hope to turn this ban into law. So far, their petition has gathered over 24,000 signatures.
Now, Aileen and May hope that Parliament will address this issue. Two Members of Parliament have also expressed their support. However, they are also aware that some people believe longer skirts are the solution. Aileen explained, "I believe that is wrong. We should not blame the victims. We should blame those who think this is acceptable."
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