AIBU to think this Scottish school uniform trend on TikTok had got out of hand?

[TigLil]

Hey everyone. Like a lot of folks here I'm a bit of TikTok addict. It started during lockdown so not my fault, but there you go!

I need to get this off my chest because it is driving me absolutely mad. Has anyone else seen 'Scottish school uniform' videos on TikTok? I am honestly utterly baffled and, frankly, disgusted by what passes for school attire these days.

Since high schools here in Scotland went back after lockdown I've noticed uniform standards fall off a cliff. I've two wee lads long off high school so it doesn't affect me yet but it's actually incredible what's going on here actually.

The Scottish uniform trend on TikTok is getting worse all the time. The ludicrously lax uniform rules in a lot, but not all high schools in Scotland I think has gone too far now.

I have family and friends that have teenagers in high school right now so I'm fully aware of how outrageously bad the uniforms have gotten since lockdown. Not only when they are out and about, but actually when in school (more later on that) they are on most occasions taking the proverbial with the uniforms. But it's also gone crazy on TikTok. Wearing "skirts" that are literally quite useless in terms being a functioning item of clothing, they literally disappear under the blazer. Little shorts like hot pants. Practical items of clothing along with blouses that appear painted on in tandem with either long black stockings, frilly white ankle socks or black see through tights that all more suitable for clubbing at weekends.

Some of the girls uniforms are like something out of Ann Summers catalogue some years ago. I'm not exaggerating. That's from what I see and anecdotal evidence I've been provided. I actually despair. On my own school run and on to work I pass several high schools and it's actually difficult to believe what you see heading in through their gates.

It's skirts that make my blood boil. I think they're the shortest on the planet. I'm not kidding. It’s completely inappropriate for a school environment. Or anywhere actually.

Whatever happened to looking neat, respectable, and ready to learn? Uniforms are meant to be a leveller so kids aren't competing over fashion and labels. Now it's turned into a competitive social media circus.

Uniform in Scottish high schools are worn till age 18. So the under 16 ban won't affect them. The endless stream of schoolgirls (the rotten algorithm of the app is to blame) cavorting in provocative dances while miming to filthy rap lyrics is a menace. Personally I hate them but the app just keeps throwing them at you. I fully support the ban, sooner the better.

It's like a competition. Each day it seems the girls spice up their uniform to better yesterdays effort. Even #ootd is now tacked on some uploads. The peer pressure must be incredible, relentless and controlling.

Personally I blame the schools. A lot of these videos are filmed in the school. Can you believe that? Because a lot of Scottish schools also now have official TikTok accounts so they either don't care or don't know.

How can any school in all honesty be happy with girls in uniform skirts that are literally like shrunken napkins? In TikTok world they seem oblivious to it all somehow.

The high schools in Scotland need an immediate clamp down in uniform standards. Because the first rule is no rules, they have become literally a daily fashion parade. And because the schools it seems have no limits, neither do the girls. This clampdown hopefully in turn will lessen, though probably not eradicate, what is becoming an out of control trend. I suspect one girl sees another girl getting more attention on her account in her uniform that has been pushed beyond words, then it's likely she will follow suit. It's a doom loop for the girls.

Sorry for the long rant. But I think it needed to be said. Schools need to be stricter on uniforms. Can they not see how provocative they've become in Scotland in recent times?? Please bring back skirts nearer the knees!

Am I just a miserable old dinosaur, or is anyone else looking at this absolute joke of a trend and feeling despair for the future?

They will be posting for engagement. They won’t post if people don’t look so don’t be part of the problem and step away.

Your algorithm is clearly showing you teen girls in short skirts etc. That should be enough to want to stop watching TikTok

I agree @TigLilits awful.

The look, in itself, has become a sort of uniform where I live, but miles away from what the school intended.

The girls here wear flat trainers / converse type things. Fine. They often wear black tights, fine. Some of them have bare legs, in theory fine, but they often look so cold and uncomfortable
and self conscious.

But the skirts. Oh my god the skirts. As you say, utterly useless as an actual skirt. Just the tiniest little strip of material often stopping literally just at the curve of their bum cheeks. I left school in 1999, I’m no stranger to the “rolling up your skirt” trend, but it’s miles away from the length of these skirts now.

Im not too sure what they wear on top as round here it is often covered by the blazer. But they all often have the long, straight hair, and a blazer (which, as you say) pretty much covers the skirt. They turn all stand around alternating between flicking their hair and tugging at their skirts to cover their bums.

I really feel for them. A lot of them just look so uncomfortable and self conscious. But the stupidly of it is frustrating. Don’t wear such a bloody stupidly short skirt then spend all day unhappily tugging at it. Just wear a normal skirt.

I know it’s just peer pressure and it’s nothing new, but it’s never been so apparent to me.

Legally uniform is not enforceable in Scotland the only thing banned is as thing that is sectarian ( ie football strips) and anything offensive is racist sexist slogans
My mother is 80 girls rolled skirts to make them shorter in the 1960s
It is your fault if you are addicted to tiktok you're an adult the algorithm feeds you more of the same.
Teachers rightly are there to educate not police uniform and in Germany France the Netherlands Scandinavia all manage to educate young people without any uniform at all if you go to a high school anywhere in Europe most are wearing jeans joggers a top and hoodies and yet still pass Maths and get to university or trade school or whatever. Short skirts and low-rise baggy jeans have no correlation to educational attainment in Europe, attendance does have a correlation

I am very surprised any schools at all have a rule which includes ankle length skirts.

Admittedly about 15 years ago, my relative was sent home for wearing an ankle length pencil skirt, as the school said it was a trip hazard and they were objecting to it on safety grounds. Her mum was furious as she was told to buy a skirt that was to the shins at most when she'd already paid for school uniform!

I dont think it is irrelevant as I think theres constant pressure on girls to not have their bodies out and its almost shameful when they do and its not put on boys in the same way they can cut about top less or just in shorts and thats fine but if a girl wears something revealing its the downfall of society apparently. We wore short skirts at school, my mum probably wore short skirts at school life moves on.

The OP reminds me of the “Wee free” minister in the Electric Soup comic back in the 1980s.

The skirts are a bit short but we did the same in late 90s rolling up skirt at waist so a dont think it is new or post covid issue.

Ah! Is that why there are 'walls of words' posts lately?

I saw a 'NRAT' on here the other day, had to google to find out what it was and decided it's my new catchphrase.

It's not a problem ag our local high school. Kids predominantly wear black with a school hoodie in S1-4 and blazers in S5 & 6. All years wear ties.

Don't waste time on Tik Tok. I've never seen it and my quality of life hasn't suffered.

I'm still seeing the majority (who aren't college age) wearing regular uniforms or something similar. The girls skirts are in a variety of lengths so I'm guessing it's the OPs location (I live in a middle income sort of area - note, I said income, not class).

So, in the main, no change from previous generations really.

I’m not a fan of ridiculous school rules, including uniforms. However I haven’t seen what you are talking about when out in my area in Central Scotland op. All the kids here are in black leggings and black hoodies. I don’t watch tick tok though, and maybe it’s tick tok that’s the problem here, creating a bit of rage bait for you to rant about.

Round here lots wear micro skirts but theywear them with very thick legging like tights.

What’s NRAT please?

leggings, flares, and plain hoodies here.

I think some of the 'girls have rolled up their skirts since the dawn of time,' ers need to actually take 5 secs to understand what OP means before slating her.

It's really not the same thing. The scottish school uniform thing is a specific trend. The skirts aren't just short but microscopic, teemed with accessories (ribbons, vests, stockings) etc. that deliberately refer back to well known kink tropes - naughty schoolgirls/lolita style outfits AND then they are dancing in a very sexualised way while wearing them. I literally looked for 2 seconds just at the few that came up under the tag, without clicking on any of them, and several were wearing just a skirt with a bra and stockings. In many cases they look underage.

Even if you think this is all up to them and a great example of female empowerment or whatever, surely there should be SOME concern that this isn't the same as wearing a short skirt in 1999 when the worst that could happen is a creepy guy whistled at you out of the van - these things will be on the internet, accessible with one click to anyone in the world, for the rest of their lives. AI can be used to remove their clothes and manipulate them into all sorts of situations. It's silly to pretend we're still living in the same world as 30, 20, or even 3 years ago.

I do understand what you are saying. And yes boys can be topless, but it would be inappropriate for a boy to be topless at school. There is a time and place - like bikinis on the beach but not at work. Skirts were also rolled in my day, but not to the same levels as today. From my point of view, there is a line between not policing women’s bodies and not enabling hypersexualised children (I googled the Scottish uniform trend and some of the videos are actually shocking)

AI can remove someone’s clothes regardless of how long the skirt is. And rapists were rife in the 90s. Nice victim blaming though.

I don’t support the batshit uniforms of England, I think those ridiculous rules contribute a lot to the prevalence of poor MH and school refusal in England, and am glad my kids can wear what they want to school, it’s taken the stress right out of the week for us all since we moved tbh. Nice to know sanity prevails in Scotland (for once).

Im ancient. And my granny described my skirt as a pelmet. And I then rolled it up. 🤷‍♀️

Not Reading All That (I think😁)

'Like a lot of folks here I'm a bit of TikTok addict...'

Have you mistaken us for r.eddit?

So It sounds like you are talking about a specific TikTok trend of girls filming themselves dancing online in an inappropriate version of school uniform? I agree that sounds concerning.

But online behaviour isn’t the same thing as real life behaviour, they aren’t presumably turning up at school without shirts on?

Stricter school uniform rules as per the OP aren't going to impact online behaviour.

I would suggest that this kind of behaviour is encouraged by page views and one of the best things the OP could do (given she doesn’t have a daughter) is to stop adding to the audience.

Why are there so many of these long AI posts on MN?

Hi OP, I agree in that I've seen what passes for school skirts and they are only as long as a pair of pants, so crotch length. Agree that something needs to change.

You are absolutely right about skirt length. Was wandering around town today at school chucking out time and of about 100 girls I saw, only one was close to knee length. All the others were barely covering bums. I'll bet the girl with the knee length skirt gets bullied too. And that is just one of the problems with not enforcing a reasonable skirt length - the girls whose parents won't let them ignore the school rules will get bullied like I was- only in my day it was the opposite way round - the cool girls wore calf length skirts and I had one that didn't reach my knees. That's before we even start on the practicality of micro skirts and the sexualisation of school girls.

Mine not like that either- Scotland too x

Actually the opposite. There's constant pressure on girls to wear the skimpiest of outfits - short skirts, very crop tops etc. Boys are all covered up in hoodies and joggers. The fact this still happens in winter tells you it's nothing to do with practicality and all about peer pressure and sexualisation.