Oxfordshire Students Push for Ban on School Uniforms in Pornography
Kabarsaji.com – Two 15-year-old students from Bicester, Oxfordshire, are campaigning for school uniforms to be prohibited from appearing in pornography, arguing that sexualized portrayals can contribute to harassment and discomfort for children who wear the clothing every day.
Aylin and Mae are members of their school’s Little Feminist Book Club. The campaign began after the group discussed efforts by students elsewhere to stop sex shops from selling school-uniform costumes. The Bicester students decided that restricting costume sales would not go far enough.
“All of us unanimously agreed. We wanted to take it a step further; we wanted to ban school uniform from all pornography,” Aylin said.
The club launched a petition intended to draw public attention to the issue and encourage political action. By October 5, 2026, it had collected more than 24,000 signatures. Attention from The Times helped bring the campaign to a wider audience, while two Members of Parliament have already expressed support for the students’ concerns.
Experiences that changed how students view uniforms
For Aylin, Mae and other supporters, the subject is not simply about clothing or fictional costumes. They say the association between school uniforms and sexualized media can affect how real pupils feel when travelling to school, spending time in public or taking part in ordinary activities outside the classroom.
The petition describes difficult experiences shared by fellow students. Some said they had faced harassment while dressed in school uniform from as young as 11. Such incidents, the students say, have left young people feeling scared, embarrassed and less secure.
“I don’t wear my school uniform outside of school,” Mae said. “I don’t like wearing it out.”
School uniforms are intended to represent membership of a school community. They can make pupils immediately recognizable as students, but the campaigners argue that recognition can become uncomfortable when strangers respond to the uniform in a sexualized way.
Mae said the meaning of the clothing has been undermined by its use in sexualized entertainment.
“Something that should actually be innocent, something that is supposed to symbolize a community, has now become discredited in society,” Mae said. “And our perception of what a school uniform represents has been distorted by this disgusting media.”
Harassment figures underline the concern
The petition points to findings from a 2018 Plan International report that examined unwanted sexual attention experienced by young women wearing school uniforms. In a survey involving 1,004 respondents aged 14 to 21, 35% said they had encountered unwanted sexual attention while in uniform.
The findings also included concerns about non-consensual photography. Eight percent of respondents said a stranger had filmed or photographed them without permission, or that someone had taken an image beneath their school skirt. This practice is commonly known as upskirting.
For supporters of the petition, those figures illustrate why the conversation should not be dismissed as a debate over fashion or dress codes. The students want public attention focused on conduct that targets children and teenagers, rather than on expectations that pupils should alter their appearance to avoid harassment.
A daily requirement for most British pupils
Uniforms are widely used internationally and are often presented as a way to reduce visible differences in family income or social background. Schools may also see them as a means of strengthening identity, creating a shared standard and limiting clothing-related bullying.
In the United Kingdom, nearly all schools and preschools require uniforms. In practice, that means most children between the ages of four and 16 wear one. Because uniforms are mandatory for so many pupils, campaigners say children cannot simply choose another outfit when they fear unwelcome attention.
The issue can extend beyond the school gate. A pupil may still be wearing uniform on the journey home, while shopping, waiting for transport or meeting friends after classes. Mae said the goal is to change the way people view both children and the clothing associated with education.
“We just want to prevent people from thinking about children and school uniforms in that way,” Mae said. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to actually turn the ban into legislation.”
Turning the proposal into law would require sustained public and parliamentary backing. The students recognize that their petition is one stage in a longer campaign, but the number of signatures and early political support have given them reason to continue.
Rejecting victim-blaming
The campaign has also prompted discussion about whether changing uniform designs, including requiring longer skirts, would make students safer. Aylin rejects the idea that responsibility should fall on girls or on the clothes they are required to wear.
“I believe that’s wrong,” Aylin said. “We shouldn’t blame the victims. We should blame those who think it is acceptable to sexualize them.”
That position is central to the students’ petition. Rather than asking children to modify their behavior or appearance in response to harassment, they want the wider culture around school uniforms to change. Their campaign frames uniforms as symbols of education and community, and insists that pupils should be able to wear them without feeling exposed to unwanted attention.
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