To think this was inappropriate for World Book Day

[Discopanda]

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2982244/Boy-11-excluded-school-turning-World-Book-Day-dressed-character-erotic-novel-Fifty-Shades-Grey.html

I don't normally admit to checking out the Daily Fail, but I kind of agree this boy's teachers were right. I thought world book day was about celebrating the children's favourite books, not their parents trying to be funny?!

Really glad my ds school is ignoring WBD in favor of fair trade fortnight. i hated costume days as a kid, hate them as a parent.

I was surprised she was a teacher too-
I know they are not saints or virgins but I had no idea they could be that thick too.

I think it is hilarious, it worries me how easily people are offended these days, I have far more admiration for the mother who did this that someone who got sucked into wasting their money on cheaply made fancy dress tat from the supermarket, if people have a problem with this maybe they should campaign to not allow the kind of advertising for these films so that every child in this country is aware who Mr grey is, but it is only dressing up, he's prob not going to turn into a billionaire abusive sex freak!!!

Haven't read the link as I just saw it on BBC News. Completely inappropriate. The mum said she wouldn't allow her 8yr old to wear it as they're still in primary school, but the 11yr old is at secondary and they all talk about sex anyway so it's fine! Err not sure sex education extends to cable ties and eye masks. What a twat.

Who contacted the papers about it? Find it odd that this would be in the news so soon after, or in the news at all, unless the mum contacted the press. I'm not she why or what reaction she wanted.

MrsGrimes
Completely inappropriate

Do you think it was more inappropriate or less inappropriate than a teacher at the same school dressing as a (fictional) serial killer?

Charming for the kids he sits next to, isn't it. If they weren't aware of cable ties and eye masks as sex-play, they certainly are now. Well done that Mum.

Aww, the imagination of 11 year olds, eh.

WBD is just a load of rubbish whichever way you look at it. Wish it would stop. They'll start stretching it out into a week soon

I thought it was hilarious and the school staff only have themselves to blame if they don't set clear guidelines. Dressing up as Christian Grey is certainly no more inappropriate than dressing up as a serial killer. I particularly liked the bit in the (Guardian) article that said Mylene Claas had sent her kids to school dressed as her (which is ok because she has written some books)!!

Oh dear, I'm starting to lose faith in WBD. Good old Myleene Klass has turned it into an exercise in narcissism.

www.parentdish.co.uk/2015/03/06/myleene-klass-dresses-her-daughters-as-herself-for-world-book-day-ava-hero/

The mother's probably some hipster who thought she was being ironic or funny in some way. Damned fool. Bet her DH has a beard, sleeve tattoo and is called Dan.

Nope, I'm in the 'inappropriate' camp here. I wouldn't send my four year old in as the Texas Chainsaw Massacre or IT either - they're both books, but not suitable for children. Neither is 50 Shades of shite - which is a 'book' in the loosest sense of the word anyway.

As for the Disney twaddle - in my heart I agree, but it is very, very easy to do - and many of the films are based on books (even Elsa if you read The Snow Queen). Much as I would love to send my PFB in dressed as Elizabeth Bennett, a) she prefers Hairy Maclary and b) I'm terrible at making costumes; so I'm not going to complain when she asks to go as Cinderella if we have a Cinderella dress handy. I'd rather see eighteen Rapunzels who had a passing knowledge of the original story than a Christian Grey who really shouldn't!

We had a boy in year 2 dress as Mr Grey yesterday, his mum announced it to the teacher when she dropped him off. he had a suit on but no accessories. I saw him at lunchtime and told him he looked smart , he told me he was out of one of his mums books but didn't remember who.

I'll send my 5 yr old as 'Debbie' as in Debbie does Dallas. Or Linda Lovelace, I'm going to get her to 'deep-throat' a banana in the dining hall.

It's hilarious!

Erm cactus, hate to be that poster, but you do know that Alice in wonderland is a book?

But fwiw I don't have a problem with all the elsas. If you sell books as a mine of characters to dress up as then you're not giving kids any sensible reason to prefer a literary character to a TV/film one.

I think the 50sog story highlights the problem with the approach of presenting literature in this way, especially to older children. Books are not just goodies and baddies but quite often are ways of exploring emotions/ideas/experiences that aren't necessarily polite, positive or universally approved of. So asking kids to dress up as any book character is asking for trouble!

That said, although my first reaction was to find this funny, on reflection I wouldn't have allowed this myself - because I do think it probably made some xhildren and teachers feel uncomfortable and that's not fair. (Plus I'm not brave enough to risk being labelled child abuser for the sake of free speech.)

I'm getting fed up with half of MN saying "Elsa isn't in a book"!

Have you not walked into a bookshop for over two years?

Seriously, we're talking about little children who were asked to dress up as a character from their "favourite book". Of course lots will genuinely pick one of the spin off books from the most recent blockbuster Disney hit!

Cross posted with Crocodile, not directed at Crocodile. Just a general rant.

I thought WBD was for the children which meant they dressed as characters from books they have enjoyed. The mother made it about her at her son's expense. I don't see a problem with the adult teachers dressing as a serial killer or whatever as they are representing books that are age appropriate to them.

I'm sure children are aware of the sexual connotations involved in 50 Shades but that doesn't mean it should be brought into a children's activity. There are plenty of other characters that could be portrayed. I think it's in really bad taste and just plain weird.

I'm confused by the idea that children shouldn't be able to understand / access the issues raised by CG, but at the same time other kids should feel uncomfortable. Both can't be right, and uncomfortableness is exactly the sort of emotion that CG should be raising and is entirely appropriate.

The book wasn't around when I was 11, but I was certainly reading books with similar themes although I can't imagine there was one where the negative character was such a hero rather than villain. I really don't think it's that unusual, by primary school I'd certainly exhausted any remotely interesting non-adult book in the house / library.

The character is much worse than James Bond, but it's not about dressing as a morally good character, it's about dressing as a character.

I see nothing wrong with it.

Ha no worries spindoctor, I completely agree with you actually!

Yeah, world book day is now about dressing as a character in an adult book that you've never actually read, but you know that mummy likes. Exactly, the spirit of world book day.

My daughter went dressed as Alice in Wonderland. Shock horror.

I was going to make a similar joke as crocodiles.

Glad I didn't now.