Sydney high school slammed over ‘sexist’ new uniform policy

A Sydney high school faces explosive backlash after students claim its new dress code creates a shocking double standard between boys and girls.

A new dress code at Sydney’s Mosman High School has ignited backlash from parents and students, who claim it disproportionately targets girls’ clothing choices.

Mosman High School, which has been uniform-free since the early 1980s, introduced the dress code in early November, banning bike shorts, leggings, and shirts that don’t cover the neckline.

However, families say the activewear ban is inconsistently enforced, with girls being reprimanded for items not on the banned list and their male peers being ignored.

Mosman High School students Josephine De Sousa and Lily Watson in their activewear. Picture: The Daily Telegraph

‘Double standard’

“It seems to me that it’s less about the dress code and what you’re wearing, and more about your body,” one female Year 10 student at the Lower North Shore High School told the Daily Telegraph.

“People with a certain body type won’t get ‘dress-coded’ for low-cut shirts but, if you have a bigger chest, you might get dress-coded for wearing a low-cut shirt.”

A fellow student claimed: “I’ve seen girls walk past the principal and boys walk past the principal wearing the same thing, and she will go to the girls and not the boys”.

Meanwhile, four female students alleged they had all been told to pull up their shirts or zip up their jumpers by a male teacher.

They face potential detention or in-school suspensions if they breach the new dress code, with some sanctioned six times.

Male students told the publication that they had rarely, if ever, been told off for breaking the same rules.

A Mosman High School parent said that the new restrictions seem to ignore body diversity among young girls, “for whom puberty is far more challenging, given rapid body changes and the onset of periods”.

news.com.au has reached out to the school for comment.

Department responds

A spokesperson for the Department of Education told news.com.au that individual schools manage uniform matters.

“The department provides public schools with direction and advice on school uniform and dress code requirements,” they said.

“The school uniform and dress code policy requires schools to ensure there are equitable uniform and dress code expectations for all students.

“Parents and carers can raise any concerns about school uniforms directly with the relevant school. Any issues would be managed by the principal, in line with department procedures.”

Lily is in Year 10 and spent a week at The Daily Telegraph doing work experience, where she wrote a story about the dress code. Picture: The Daily Telegraph

Media commentary

The saga sparked widespread discussion on breakfast TV and radio nationwide on Monday.

2GB host Ben Fordham spoke with NSW shadow education spokesperson Sarah Mitchell, who previously served as minister in the former Coalition government.

She said she spoke to a female student at the school who believed there was “a bit of a double standard”.

She urged the school leaders, parents, and kids to “all sit down and find a sensible way forward so the girls feel comfortable”.

“As long as it’s not revealing or inappropriate, I think their argument makes sense,” she said.

Nat Barr also weighed in on the issue on Sunrise, saying, “It’s an interesting one”.

“There’s no rule for the boys, who can wear whatever they like. This will blow up,” she added.

And blow up it did, with Aussies divided online.

Mosman High School has had a no uniform policy for decades. Picture: Google

Social media weighs in

“The school shouldn’t have to go to these lengths, and if the students and parents don’t like the ban, then they should look at changing schools,” one person wrote.

“I don’t even wanna see it at the shops, let alone know it’s being worn in schools. I would never have even contemplated wearing that to school in the 2000s,” a second wrote.

Social media users said it might be time the school reintroduce uniforms. Picture: Google

“It’s about time teenagers stopped doing whatever they like for a change,” a third quipped.

Others pointed out that this is exactly why schools should have uniforms.

The school’s longstanding guidelines already prohibit overly brief or revealing clothes.

“Singlet tops and/or thin strapped tops are unacceptable. All tops must completely cover the torso. Shorts and skirts must be mid-thigh,” the school’s website reads.

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Originally published as Sydney high school slammed over ‘sexist’ new uniform policy