Emily Atack Supports Teenagers Campaigning to Ban School Uniforms in Pornography
The actress, who found fame on 'The Inbetweeners,' has backed a national campaign launched by students to address a loophole in child protection laws.
Emily Atack has publicly supported a group of teenage girls who are advocating for a ban on the use of school uniforms in pornography. The campaign, initiated by four students from The Cooper School in Bicester, aims to close a legal loophole that allows actors over 16 to appear in adult media wearing school uniforms, even though they may still be minors.
The students' initiative highlights that while the UK's Crime and Policing Act, set to take effect in November, prohibits pornographic material featuring adults posing as children under 16, it does not cover scenarios where older actors wear school uniforms. This is because secondary school and sixth-form students can wear uniforms until the age of 18.
Atack, 36, shared a video of a BBC News report on the campaign via her Instagram Stories, adding the caption "With you all." The actress, known for her role as Charlotte Hinchcliffe in "The Inbetweeners," has previously spoken about her own experiences with sexualization. Her character was notably referred to as "Charlotte Big Jugs" by the show's main characters, a detail Atack has reflected on, noting she "naively didn't think what narrative was being painted" for her at the time, which she believes led to typecasting and provocative photoshoots.
In 2023, Atack presented a documentary titled "Asking For It," where she detailed the daily sexual harassment she faced online. She suggested that her earlier television roles, such as the sexualized Charlotte Hinchcliffe, contributed to her online sexualization, stating at the time, "It's horrible because it's out of control now, I feel so embarrassed and angry because I feel like I've allowed it."
The teenagers' campaign has gained significant traction, surpassing 40,000 signatures on Change.org. The movement has garnered support from Durham University law professor Clare McGlynn, who told the BBC that the campaign is prompting a crucial national conversation about the problematic use of school uniforms in mainstream pornography. McGlynn noted that the "teen pornography" genre is a significant category within mainstream pornography and is often associated with violent material. She emphasized that when actors claim to be portraying 17-year-olds in school uniforms, it circumvents current legal protections because "the reality is that school uniforms are trying to portray a young girl."
UK Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones has also commended the students for their efforts in speaking out against the sexualization of young girls.