Kelsey Anderson was wearing jeans and a long-sleeved top when she says she was shamed for her outfit. The reason? She’s too busty.
Anderson, 17, was allegedly told by her teacher at Joplin High School last Friday that “plus-sized women” such as herself needed to shop at stores selling plus-sized clothes. She then sent the teen to the principal’s office.
“Smaller busted women could get away with more than larger busted women,” the teacher allegedly told Anderson, USA Today reports.
The teen quickly felt “embarrassed and horrified” by the teacher’s treatment, and she asked the school to remove her from the course. Though the school principal reportedly refused to move her out of the class, Anderson’s mother, Melissa Barber, wasn’t going to let the incident slide. Barber quickly turned to Facebook in disgust.
“This is the shirt that just got my 17 year old dress coded,” Barber wrote in a public Facebook post. “The teacher said ‘your boobs are bigger than most girls, and you are gonna have to try harder.’ She really needs to not speak to my daughter like that. What is wrong with the way this child is dressed????”
https://www.facebook.com/melissa.barber.3154/posts/1550984564937677
Barber and Anderson have since contacted attorney Elizabeth Turner over the teen’s treatment, and have encouraged others to come forward to point out the double standards in the school’s dress code enforcement. In one alleged case, a boy was not sent home by the school for wearing a shirt that said, “Our erections are harder, stronger and last longer.”
“Four different teachers all saw him wear it,” one student said.
https://www.facebook.com/melissa.barber.3154/videos/1550871871615613/
The Joplin School District is currently investigating the situation, and has since pointed out that official policy requires staff to remain respectful toward students.
“The District does not consider comments by staff members about students’ bodies appropriate. Our staff conduct policy requires all staff members to maintain courteous and professional relationships with students,” the district said in a statement obtained by USA Today.
Sexist school dress codes are nothing new for America’s high schools. Cases like this go viral just about every other week: One honor student was previously suspended for a completely normal top, and a 16-year-old girl was reportedly criticized by her school for not wearing a bra. Enforcing dress codes only on girls of certain size or bra size is just another way to punish women for their bodies.
