I applaud the young people protesting how the dress code at Sydney Academy is being enforced ("Crop top solidarity," Cape Breton Post, Dec. 11).
While crop tops might not be appropriate attire for some situations, that's not why the code is being enforced. The mode of enforcement is definitely sexist and misogynistic. The term, "put your clothes on," is insulting and definitely sexualizes the body of a young girl.
If it was just about an appropriate dress code asking students, both male and female, to avoid casual dress that would be the proper approach.
It's interesting to note that the first thing regimes such as the Taliban do to oppress females is to start demanding that they cover up. That's the kind of thinking that views women and their bodies simply as sex objects.
The young lady in the story who said, "But if you have boobs or a behind you'll get dress coded," hit the nail on the head. Women are punished for looking like women. Men project sexual motives onto young girls who just want to be able to wear what's in style like their peers. A flat-chested girl can wear whatever she wants without being accused of "asking for it."
Dark-skinned people of African descent often say light-skinned people of African descent (those who look more Caucasian) are treated better. The same applies to women – those who have smaller breasts and behinds have more freedom of dress and movement than those who have larger secondary sexual characteristics (breasts, hips and buttocks).
No one has control over the size of their breasts without surgical intervention. When I was 12, I started to develop quickly and someone started the rumour I wore "falsies."
By the time I was 14 my posture was ruined from the weight. My neck and shoulders were slouched and sore. By the time I was in my late teens and early 20s, I was smashing my breasts up to try to induce tumours to get them removed. I wasn't thinking of the health implications of a tumour. I thought if I was rid of them I could wear what I wanted without being accused of "asking for it."
Any time I was upset by crude comments I was chastised for my dress or told I should by flattered. That's like telling a Black person they should be flattered by the N-word.
Fortunately, when I was 24 I had breast reduction surgery. Unfortunately, like most women, I gained weight after menopause. I find myself dealing with the same physical discomfort and self-consciousness I did when I was young, and second-guessing everything I wear.
I hope things will change so that 45 years from now the young girls involved with the protest will not have to see high school girls dealing with the same stupidity and sexualization of female bodies.
M. Monica MacDonald
North Sydney
The Link LonkJanuary 04, 2021 at 06:35PM
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LETTER: Dress code in Cape Breton schools must treat sexes equally - Cape Breton Post
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