Good Morning Britain Viewers Shocked As Headteacher Says School Girls Wearing Skirts Make People Feel 'Uncomfortable'

Good Morning Britain hosted yet another controversial debate today, after it was revealed that some schools are asking children as young as four to wear shorts under skirts and dresses to prevent them from 'upskirting'.

Headteacher Bryony Baynes argued that many girls were choosing to wear skirts under their skirts and dresses out of their own volition.

Watch some of the debate below.

"Our school has a chainlink fence by our field, with neighbours that overlook it," she explained. "Occasionally, we've had the neighbours contact me to say, 'We're just a little bit uncomfortable as the girls are doing handstands against the fence. We feel uncomfortable to be in the garden while that happens.'

"My girls tend to wear cycling shorts. They've chosen to wear these. They're not wearing them because anyone has told them, and they're not wearing them because they feel victimised."

ITV)

But body-positive activist Natasha Devon appeared on the breakfast programme to say the use of modesty shirt only promotes a culture of victim-blaming, as the onus is put on schoolgirls to change their behaviour, rather than those taking the upskirting photos themselves.

"I can't see this call is coming from children," she said. "It seems to be coming from schools.

"We need to ask ourselves, what exactly do we think we're protecting these children from? What's the worst that can happen if a four or five year old shows her pants while doing a cartwheel?

"Is it that there are predatory adults around, in which case, the school are failing to keep their pupils safe, or is it because of boys and unwanted touching? Laughing? Pointing? Then it's a case of that school not teaching about consent. So I'm wondering why we're asking girls to modify their dress and behaviour to prevent a problem they didn't cause."

ITV)

The argument over whether girls should wear shorts for 'modesty' purposes bubbled over on Twitter, where viewers themselves debated the issue.

"Seriously at what age will women stop being made to 'cover up' before men/boys will stop perving on us," one woman rightly pointed out.

Twitter)

Another wrote: "So young girls/children can't do cartwheels, young women can't walk when and where they want..women are fed up having to restrict whatever we do because boys/men/some people feel uncomfortable or some are pervs?"

While a third chipped in: "Why do girls (especially young) have to wear shorts? People should learn on how to control themselves if they can't there is clearly something wrong this them and should go get checked out."

Twitter - ginamartin)

Meanwhile, campaigner Gina Martin, who fought hard to make upskirting a criminal offence, was critical of this being prevented as a debate.

"Great to see Good Morning Britain doing a section on whether making children were shorts under their skirts to stop sexual assault is modesty or victim blaming this morning as if that's a debate. Modesty *imposed* onto a child is no longer a choice. It is victim blaming."

Topics: UK News, Life News, Good Morning Britain

Kimberley Bond

Kim is a journalist at Tyla, and has previously worked at the Evening Standard, Radio Times as well as several national newspapers. A showbiz obsessive and a television fanatic, Kim is particularly interested in celebrity gossip, A-list events and the latest releases on either the big or small screen. Contact her at [email protected]

@0xKimberley