Short skirts, knee-high socks, white blouses: Girls' school uniform items are widely used as costumes in pornographic videos. As students experience harassment, a group wants to change that.
Right now? The govt hasn’t done anything. Only two Parliament members so far have expressed support for their petition, and I suspect that’s only because this is gaining public attention.
Since nobody has read the article, here are the relevant points:
Aylin and Mae, both age 15, are members of their school’s Little Feminist Book Club in Bicester, Oxfordshire, England.
During a group discussion, the club learned that teenagers at other schools were trying to have the sale of school uniforms banned in sex shops.
Schoolgirl costumes are also widely used in pornographic videos.
“All of us unanimously agreed. We wanted to take it a step further; we wanted to ban school uniform from all pornography,” Aylin told DW. As a result, they started a petition to raise awareness of the issue.
Many of their fellow students, as the petition states, have already had unpleasant experiences while wearing their uniforms. Some reported being harassed as early as the age of 11. Many of these experiences had left them feeling frightened, ashamed and insecure. **“I don’t wear my school uniform outside of school,” said Mae. “I don’t like wearing it out.” **
In their petition, the girls also refer to a 2018 report by the charity Plan International. According to a survey in the report, 35% of the 1,004 respondents aged 14 to 21 had experienced unwanted sexual attention while wearing a school uniform. Eight percent said they had been filmed or photographed by a stranger without their permission, or that someone had taken a photo under their school skirt, known as “upskirting.”
In the United Kingdom, uniforms are mandatory at almost all schools and preschools, which means essentially all children between the ages of 4 to 16 wear them.
Outside school, children have no way to escape unwanted attention.
Until that happens, they still have a long way to go, but the girls are optimistic. As of October 5, 2026, the petition has garnered more than 24,000 signatures. Thanks to an article in the English newspaper The Times, it’s also gotten plenty of attention.
Now, Mae and Aylin hope to get parliament to debate the issue. Two Members of Parliament have already voiced their support.
But the girls also know some people believe longer skirts are the solution. “I believe that’s wrong,” explains Aylin. “We shouldn’t blame the victims. We should blame those who think it is acceptable to sexualize them.”
These are smart kids. The dismissive comments here regarding their opinions and personal experiences with a blanket “just trying to ban porn” statement is a gross overreaction and shifting the blame onto the victims.
Right now? The govt hasn’t done anything. Only two Parliament members so far have expressed support for their petition, and I suspect that’s only because this is gaining public attention.
Since nobody has read the article, here are the relevant points:
These are smart kids. The dismissive comments here regarding their opinions and personal experiences with a blanket “just trying to ban porn” statement is a gross overreaction and shifting the blame onto the victims.