Sarah McClure has started a petition after seeing numerous complaints about the new Tauranga Girls' College "see-through" blouses. Photo / George Novak
Sarah McClure has started a petition after seeing numerous complaints about the new Tauranga Girls' College "see-through" blouses. Photo / George Novak
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More than 400 people have signed a petition calling on Tauranga Girls' College to ditch a new "see through" school uniform blouse.
The school's principal, however, says the fabric of the shirt was thethickest available for summer and looked "great" on those who trialled it.
Mount Maunganui woman Sarah McClure started the petition on change.org on Sunday after seeing comments on Facebook from parents furious about the new $45 white blouse.
"Tauranga Girls College has just upgraded their t-shirts, the problem is the new approved blouses are white and see-through! Why would someone design and produce a blouse for teenage girls that is see-through," she wrote in the petition.
The Tauranga Girls' College blouse in question. Photo / Supplied
McClure told the Bay of Plenty Times some people had suggested students wear a singlet underneath.
"For me wearing a singlet is financially out of reach for some people.
"Why should someone have to buy all the stationary and the new uniform then turn around and buy new singlets because the blouses are see-through? It's not fair."
The Tauranga Girls' College blouses have replaced the polo shirt that was first dropped from the uniform in 2018.
Principal Tara Kanji said students had issues with the replacement polo introduced in 2019.
"After the initial year of that, girls felt the material was more sheer than they had hoped for so last year we selected a thicker fabric [for the blouse] but not winter weight.
"This is the thickest summer weight available by our supplier NZ Uniform and looks and felt great by those who trialled them."
Tauranga Girls' College Principal Tara Kanji with students in 2018 in the old polo shirts. Photo / File
Kanji did not respond to questions put to her about the petition specifically.
A parent who did not to be named but had a daughter at the school said she was "absolutely horrified" at the "thin and flimsy material that showed everything".
"I can't even imagine the situation if they got caught in the rain.
"I'm horrified to think that every girl at the college now must worry about their bras being seen by everyone else inside and outside of school."
