We are Year 12 Westlake Girls High School students and we are here to say we are very concerned about the uniform especially the senior year blouses. The blouses we are required to wear are transparent. As we walk around the school we can see the back of students bras (mostly senior blouses) and we feel very intrusive on their privacy that should have never be invaded. The transparency gets worse when caught in the rain and our uniform gets wet we can see more than what we should.

Not only are the blouses transparent but the button placement on the front leaves huge gaps on the senior blouse making it visible to see a students chest area. The junior blouses have more coverage.

Both blouses junior and senior are also extremely tight, hard to breath in when the fabric is strained across your chest especially when you’re still growing, feeling like a corset. Because of the shirt thinness of the fabric many people have to put on extra layers of clothing to feel safe which they should not have to do especially in summer, and for students who have certain religious requirements to cover up skin they tend to overheat and get feverish/sick a lot during the summer which is unhealthy and not good for keeping students safe.

Despite the numerous complaints and email to the school from students and parents/caregivers, the school continues to do nothing about a solution. In a meeting two students took part of with the principal, vice principal, and uniform designer, our requests were ignored.  when we raised the issue of transparency when wet, we were told from the designer themselves "when are you going to get wet?" and "use an umbrella." These dismissive responses show that our genuine privacy and safety concerns are not being taken seriously, and meaningful change is being avoided rather than addressed.

The Westlake boys shirts have more coverage and thicker fabric, and we request that us as female students have similar or exact same choices of safer and more comfortable clothing. Wearing a uniform, especially a school one which includes minors wearing the outfit 5 days a week should feel more safe, not make any student feel self conscious and cautious of people seeing their intimate areas underneath their clothing.

 Please join us in urging the Westlake Girls High School administration to review and update our uniform policy. Let’s make a change that truly benefits all students. Sign this petition to support the students of Westlake Girls High School in having a more comfortable and appropriate uniform!