These Teen Boys Are Donning Skirts To Protest Their School’s Uniform Policy
The youths, they are revolting.
File this one under: the youths are actually amazing. It’s summer over in the Northern Hemisphere, which means, heck, it’s hot! But school policy at UK high school Isca Academy in Devon doesn’t allow for boys to substitute trousers for shorts in hot weather. So the youths, they are revolting.
On a 30+ degree day — which, I know, sounds not that bad, but is pretty scorching for Devon — two dozen school boys arrived to school in smart tartan skirts instead of trousers. The skirts, which are the accepted uniform for girls at Isca Academy, were borrowed from sisters, friends and girlfriends, and the boys wore them proudly. Some had even shaved their legs.
And tbh, not only is this a brilliant protest against dated and gendered school policy, these kids look extremely cool.
Boys at Isca Academy in Exeter wear skirts to school in protest at not being allowed to wear shorts in hot weather. pic.twitter.com/XHrffnSQEN
— Simon Hall (@SimonHallNews) June 22, 2017
The protest was organised after the boys objected to the fact that they were not allowed to don shorts, but the girls’ uniform, the tartan skirts, allowed for bare legs. In response, the school (no doubt jokingly) said the boys were free to wear the girls’ uniform if they wished. And that’s exactly what they did!
This isn’t the first time children protesting against uniform policy has made the news. Last year girls from a South African school protested an “aggressive” ban on natural African hairstyles, like afros. And recently it was announced that a private school in London, the Highgate School, would allow boys to wear skirts as part of a new gender-neutral policy, which includes a ban on phrases like “man up”.
Honestly, I’m all for this. Like, this all sounds GREAT to me. Forcing children (forcing anyone, actually) to dress in a gendered way is not just restrictive, it’s silly. If your boy wants to wear a skirt because it makes him feel more comfortable — cool? So what? If your girls want to wear trousers or shorts, to make it easier to play in the playground — cool? So what?
Clothes are important: they’re our means for expressing ourselves to the world. Even when wearing a school uniform, no child should be made to feel uncomfortable or oppressed. So hats off to these boys for sticking it to the man.
It’s also worth noting how continuously impressive it is that the youths are so switched on and politically active. Young people genuinely caring about their world and striving to agitate for change is quite something. I swear, when I was a kid, all we cared about was Tsubi jeans and who was going to Max Brenner for hot chocolate after school. In short, I am truly amazed by the youths. They are our future.