A Nelson high school student has been told wearing socks with a little thigh exposed is against uniform rules, with suggestions it may be overly sexual.
Madi Fulton Buckle is speaking out and making a documentary about the sexualisation of socks, modelled on her own experience after a teacher told her long socks with skirts is "creepy porn-video looking".
The uniform policy at the school she attends, Nelson College for Girls, only allows girls to wear ankle socks, stockings, or long socks - as long as no skin can be seen.
Ms Fulton Buckle feels like she's having to dress a certain way because of other people's opinions.
"In the summer we're allowed to wear short white ankle socks and in winter, to keep warm, we're allowed black tights," she told Three's The Project.
"And the question was raised whether or not we can wear over the knee socks. Pretty much we can, as long as you can't see any leg in between the top of our sock and the bottom of our kilt."
She has interviewed boys and girls at Nelson College for Girls and Nelson College to get their views on the socks. She says that boys can link the socks to porn, but when she asks if it's when she's wearing her school uniform, then they no longer see the socks as sexual.
However, when she asks boys if they think it's sexual when boys' skin is exposed between their socks and their shorts, they don't.
"The best thing to do is just talk about it, because it's a conversation that needs to be had. No one [should be sexualised] unless they're actually acting sexual," Ms Fulton Buckle says.
Watch her interview with The Project.
Newshub.
