School uniforms, once a symbol of strict conformity, has undergone a radical change in Japan. They are now such a trendy fashion statement that Japanese teenage girls wear them even when not in school. But the attention they attract is not always welcomed. Not content with just wearing their uniforms in school, trendy young girls continue to don their plaid skirts or sailor style suits after class and even during school holidays. The 'High School Girls' look has evolved over the years into a brand that is instantly recognisable. But the uniforms are drawing unwanted attention, with the school girls becoming the target of men's sexual fantasies. Author and illustrator Nobuyuki Mori believes the girls are partly to blame for this. He has been sketching uniforms since the 1980s and even published the "Tokyo High School Girl Picture Book" which has sold about 200,000 copies. He told our correspondent: "The girls realise they have a value. When words such as "burusera" and "ko-gal" (little gals) were created, they thought as long as they wore cute uniforms, their value would go up. And it's only for 3 years while in high school they can dress like that, so they take full advantage." "Burusera" means bloomers and sailor outfits and burusera shops have sprouted where used clothes, worn by these girls go on sale. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has taken this matter seriously. It has from this year banned the trade of used underwear, and providing space for such trade. If caught, businesses can be fined about US$4,600 and buyers up to US$2,800. It has also set up a late night curfew for youths under 18. Still our correspondent found a burusera shop in the juvenile haven of Shibuya. The shop even claims to offer sexual services. And some school girls our correspondent spoke to say men sometimes harrass them. Kyoko Tsuruta, 17-year-old student, said: "I often hear from others that they fall victim to peeping shots when they're wearing their uniforms." The girls say they are not affected by such incidents. All they want is to enjoy making a fashion statement with their school uniform. And it's here at Shibuya that they can buy the latest accessories to go with their outfits. Mr Mori said: "There are some public schools in Tokyo where you can dress in your own clothes, yet the girls choose to go to school in a uniform. They're called 'make-believe uniforms'." Nobuyuki says there are even grown up women, who try to look young by wearing such uniforms. With so much going in the area of uniform fashion, he plans to update his book and release a new pictorial next year. Source: CNA