These days it’s hard enough being a teenage girl without the added scrutiny of unwanted comments regarding appearance or size (or anything else for that matter).
A teacher in Missouri has told a female student, in front of the entire classroom, ‘Plus-size women need to dress accordingly.’
Kelsey Paige Anderson, 17, showed up to class last Friday in a modest long sleeve blouse and ripped jeans, not unusual for a 17-year-old teenage girl, however her teacher sent her to the principals office for a dress code violation. Presumably, it was the ripped jeans that might have caused a stir for classroom attire.
But, no. Apparently, it was the blouse that was the problem. The teacher told Kelsey, ‘your boobs are bigger than most girls, and you are gonna have to try harder,’ and ‘bustier women need to wear clothing that covers their cleavage.’
Not surprisingly, Kelsey’s mother, Melissa Barber, was pretty upset about the whole situation, so much so she posted a photo of Kelsey’s outfit to Facebook, accompanied by a detailed account, which has now gone viral.
Part of Melissa’s note reads:
‘I began explaining [to the principal] that my daughter was just sexualized by her teacher in front of the whole class. She was embarrassed and horrified. He continued to defend the teacher. I could see we were getting nowhere. I was close to losing my temper. I took my daughter by the hand and we left. I refuse to put my daughter in a situation where her self esteem is completely destroyed.’
Melissa also posted a photo of her daughter with another female student, who didn’t violate the dress code, to point out the ridiculousness of the teacher’s actions.