A Canadian girl suspended from school after her dress was deemed a ‘sexual distraction’ has won an army of supporters on social media. Lauren Wiggins said she's tired of the "discrimination against our bodies" and pledged to reshape the public mindset.
“Enough is enough,” Lauren, 17, stated in a Facebook
post, adding that she's “absolutely fed up with comments that
make us feel like we can't be comfortable without being
provocative.”
The Grade 12 student was told by that the halter dress (that
reached the floor but showed her shoulders and part of her back)
she wore to school on Monday was "inappropriate" being a
"sexual distraction" to others.
All I'm saying is what kind of boy is aroused by a girls neck and back to the point the girl should be suspended? #LaurenWiggins
— Eric Janvier (@ClassicJanvier) 14 мая 2015
The dress code policy posted on the school's website, informs that "all
students dress with appropriate taste in order that the
educational process is not disrupted. Dressing for school means
that you wear clothes in the manner they are intended to be
worn."
It adds that while at school "students shall be dressed and
groomed in a manner that will neither adversely affect the
instructional program nor violate reasonable and acceptable
standards of cleanliness, safety, or appropriateness as judged by
the principal and administration of Harrison Trimble High
School."
The teenager has posted on her Facebook page the letter she wrote
to her vice-principal Shane Sturgeon.
"In today's society the woman's body is constantly
discriminated against and hypersexalized to the point where we
can no longer wear the clothing that we feel comfortable in
without the accusation and/or assumption that we are being
provocative. This unjust mindset towards women is absolutely
absurd. The fact that authority figures, especially males, can
tell young women they must cover up their shoulders and their
back because it is 'inappropriate' and 'a distraction' is very
uncomforting," the student wrote in her letter.
Lauren Wiggins. Wherever you are, I SALUTE you. #laurenwiggins
— Jasmine (@iiiFly) 13 мая 2015
"If you are truly so concerned that a boy in this school will
get distracted by my upper back and shoulders, then he needs to
be sent home and practice self-control," she added.
#LaurenWiggins Just because you should be able to be free doesn't mean its safe. The World is what it is and people are what they are.
— Paul L Harris (@paulishus) 14 мая 2015
"Yes, I understand there are restrictions to how much and how
little of your body that shows, but that applies when people show
up in their bikinis or bra and panties," Lauren stated.
"Schools are the social building blocks in an adolescent's
life meant to teach them how to communicate and develop
relationships with others and also learning about themselves and
who they want to be," she concluded.
Posted by Lauren Wiggins on Monday, 11 May 2015
As of Thursday afternoon, Wiggins' Facebook post has received
over 1,100 shares and a number of comments from supporters,
including her father, Paul, who said he saw his daughter's outfit
and there was "nothing provocative about it."
"Perhaps your teachers should learn that 16-18 year old boys
get a hard on if the wind blows!! Tell your teachers to call
me-I'm sure I'll have something to say!!!" he wrote.
A similar case occurred last month in Orange County, Texas, when
a 12th-grade honors student, Macy Edgerly, was sent home from
school for wearing leggings and a long athletic shirt. Her outfit
was deemed inappropriate. Her sister, Erica Alyse Edgerly, posted
photos of Macy's outfit to Facebook saying: "People wonder
why women feel insecure about their bodies or what they wear. And
it's because you're told your clothing is inappropriate when
you're completely fully clothed, even when you're not showing
cleavage or anything. How about instead of body shaming women,
school systems should start teaching 15-18 year old boys to stop
degrading women with their eyes and contributing to the rape
culture of today's society,” she wrote, her post receiving
over 95,000 shares.
“Bottom line, girls cannot go to school in comfortable
clothes that cover everything because school systems are afraid
that hormonal boys won't be able to control their eyes and minds.
And that is such a bigger problem than worrying about
clothing,” she added.