‘You can’t wear skinny jeans to school it’s unfair on your male teachers.’ A teenage female student heard in her high school and was sent home to dress properly or as some would say decently and others would say unprovocatively. It doesn’t matter what adjective you are going to use here to justify your comment because as a teacher if you looked at a student wearing skinny jeans and you got ideas that you felt were inappropriate who is the one who should go home? Perhaps there is something wrong with you and you should seek help? Are you blaming the girl for your thoughts and ideas? Does it not remind you of a situation where a rape victim is being blamed for what happened to her?

I read an article online claiming that around 11 girls in Great Britain last year were sent home because they were wearing too short skirts or leggings. It is a phenomenon that occurs not only in the UK but in many other ‘civilised countries’. Frankly it doesn’t matter what country you live in, the so called developed or developing, girls are always the ones who are being shamed for their outfits, hairstyles and make-up. The world is sending a lot of contradicting messages to these young women. Television, fashion designers are telling them that it is ok to show off their young bodies. Their favourite celebrities are more popular if they can shock their audience with what they wear. Teenage girls are trying to find themselves, their individuality but at the same time they want to fit in and be liked by their friends. They express themselves by the way they dress and they should not be criticised for it. They should not be shamed publicly for what they wear and they should not be told at school that an adult and a teacher is unable to control himself when looking at them. Should he be a teacher then? Going back to the number of girls sent home mentioned earlier, I think the it is much higher but not all of the ‘incidents’ are being recorded as not many girls complain about such treatment from their usually male teachers. What’s more, many more girls hear comments that make them feel ashamed and humiliated because of their choice of clothes.

Let’s reverse the situation and say that a female teacher makes a comment like that to a young male student in a school ‘You should not wear skinny jeans to school it’s unfair on your female teachers…’ Wouldn’t most people then think she was wrong to say that? But also do you think female teachers cannot get ideas when they look at their young students, especially when they are wearing tight jeans? Let me tell you that the old-fashioned ideas that you have about women are totally wrong. We enjoy looking at male butts! We just don’t talk about it all the time and aloud! And again if a female teacher gets ideas at work about her students it is as wrong as it is when a male teacher does. So let’s send the message to all teachers that if they find themselves attracted to the young people in their classroom it’s time for them to get professional help and maybe change their career rather than traumatize their pupils with what I find highly inappropriate comments.

I would also like to ask those who tell the girls to change their clothes to ‘cover themselves’ if they think what they are imposing is progress? Not that long ago in history there was a time when women wore long gowns and covered every bit of their ‘sinful bodies not to lead men onto temptation’. It was also the time of torturing and burning women if men could not undersatand what they were saying or doing. Is that what you would like our global society to go back to?

‘Hey, teachers! Leave the girls alone!!!’