A gross double-stand exists in schools when it comes to dress code policy. Recently, a high-school in New Zealand has been criticized for enforcing teenaged female students to wear knee-length skirts so as not to “distract” male students and teachers.
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The assistant principal of the school, Cherith Telford, claims that this endeavor was designed to “keep our girls safe, stop boys form getting ideas and crate a good work environment for male staff,” reports The Guardian.
In a series of tweets, Badu agrees with the school’s actions. She tweeted that young girls should be aware of the risks that their bodies and sexuality possesses; that men can’t help it.
There was an article ruling that high school girls lower their skirts so male teachers are not distracted. I agreed because…
— ErykahBadoula (@fatbellybella) April 12, 2016
…one way to protect youth is to remind them we are all sexual in nature and as they grow and develop it is natural to attract men…
— ErykahBadoula (@fatbellybella) April 12, 2016
…it is not them who is doing anything wrong by being beautiful and attractive but with such imbalance in our society it is smart to be…
— ErykahBadoula (@fatbellybella) April 12, 2016
… aware and awake. Men and women both go thru cycles of arousal. Men automatically are attracted to women of child bearing age….
— ErykahBadoula (@fatbellybella) April 12, 2016
…I want my daughters to understand this. I want them to be themselves and wear what they like, yet be aware. Not ignore our differences…
— ErykahBadoula (@fatbellybella) April 12, 2016
…I want my daughters to understand this. I want them to be themselves and wear what they like, yet be aware. Not ignore our differences…
— ErykahBadoula (@fatbellybella) April 12, 2016
…But do I think it is unnatural for a heterosexual male 2b attracted to a young woman in a revealing skirt? No. I think it is his nature..
— ErykahBadoula (@fatbellybella) April 12, 2016
This dress code and, unfortunately, Badu’s tweets, send the message that women – adolescents and teenagers included – are responsible for men’s sexual behavior. It also sends the message to young men that their sexual behavior is uncontrollable.
“We know that victim blaming is very common and this is a clear example of the responsibility on the girls to be responsible for their own safety,” Debbi Tohill, executive director of Rape Crisis told The Guardian regarding the dress code.
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“In this instance, where the teacher is in a position of authority and control, the teacher has the responsibility to ensure a safe environment is created for all students. Teachers need to ensure that they have respectful relationships with their students.”
Having a dress code in place isn’t the problem, but when these codes target girls because their bodies are “sexually distracting,” it then becomes objectification.
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