ABSTRACT
At least 120 schools in the United Kingdom now have a gender-neutral school uniform policy, and primary schools are adopting the stance faster than secondary schools. Fashion, and all art, is about dreaming of the impossible, and then just tethering it to the ground – just by a toenail, sometimes – but enough that (usually) it is still practical. Uniforms are about much, much more than clothing. The way that uniforms are dictated and manifest in a school is about the edges of power, about how frayed or hemmed they are. Often, it is about sexualising and revealing girls’ bodies and about covering and enabling the bodies of boys. Skirts were designed for the male gaze, not the female wearer. In fact, so much of ‘women's’ clothing fits into this category. It's almost like men's trousers are designed for comfort and space rather than showing off their arses.
