The request is that North Durham Academy (and any other schools with the same issue) reconsider their uniform code on the trouser/skirt issue for it sexualises girls by saying that they can’t wear tighter clothes that show their figure without it being “inappropriate”.
Why is this important?
When girls are denied time in the classroom because their hips, chest or bum are considered inappropriate and in need of covering up, it privileges the societal sexualisation of their adolescent bodies over their own right to learn. We don’t have the same qualms about seeing those parts of their male peers’ anatomy. This allows adolescent males to grow up believeing that it is socially correct to sexualise those in tighter clothing and those who love their body. It also allows females to attend school in an attire that makes them feel uncomfortable and insecure as they don’t feel the uniform compliments their figure and when the school say that “It is school not a fashion show” it shows an entire hypocritical attitude as girls lose more time in the classroom due to their fashion more than anything. A statement from one student says “I want the academy to stop sexualising girls and if we want to wear tight pants we should be able to, without having teachers hassle us by saying they don’t do the job that pants should. Or in other words: they are tight around the bottom half so teachers, especially male, are disturbingly distracted because of that?
This is important because it also makes women/girls/students feel uncomfortable about their body and feel like they cannot show off the features that they have without feeling sexualised. For example ankles, we get in trouble for something as basic as an ankle. This will lead to insecurities and will make females cover up more.”