9 year old daughter told to wear sports bra/crop top

[movinonup]

DD came to me last night saying that she needed a sports bra or crop top for P.E in the future as the teacher had told this to a group of girls who had been doing gymnastics and their tshirts had fallen down when doing handstands .

I can only assume this is to cover up their 9 year old nipples for fear of...........what exactly?

Are the boys to cover their nipples also?

AIBU to be cross about this?

[GreenEggsHamandChips]

Why didnt the teacher tell the kids to tuck the tshirts in?
All sounds very strange to me

[PorkPatrol]

If a teacher felt a child may need glasses/an eye test it wouldn’t be an inappropriate conversation to have with the individual child so it’s not the same.
Would you be happy if your dd was starting to develop early and you hadn’t got her a bra yet for the teacher to single just her out and tell her she needs a bra/cropped top one to one? I doubt it.

[PorkPatrol]

T-shirt’s tucked in would be a solution if they stayed tucked in though I imagine they would come untucked when arms were raised for things like cartwheels.

[JacquesHammer]

T-shirt’s tucked in would be a solution if they stayed tucked in though I imagine they would come untucked when arms were raised for things like cartwheels

They’d stay tucked in long enough for the cartwheel to be done, then child can re-tuck!

There’s absolutely no need for a 9 year old girl to wear a bra/crop-top unless they need the support/they want to.

[PorkPatrol]

It depends on the tshirt. The Pe T-shirt’s my kids have come untucked if they stretch their arms up.

[diddl]

Wouldn't kids wearing vests take the off for PE anyway?

[PorkPatrol]

So would you be happy for your child to be singled out and a conversation had just with them if they were an early developer then? Because I think that would be completely inappropriate.
I imagine girls with no breasts are required to wear a full swimsuit for swimming rather than just bikini bottoms - what’s the difference?

[Fraying]

I'd love to know where you buy school pe tops that stay tucked in during gymnastics. I don't think this is about stipulating underwear or about sexism or overly sexualising children.
It's about appropriate wear for pe. It's probably about health and safety. If the girls are mid handstand/cartwheel/somersault and suddenly worry their top and vest has ridden up, then they're more likely to lose concentration/try to pull it down and lose balance, etc.

[ShatnersBassoon]

It's still your call to make, so you can ignore the teacher's advice. I suppose the teacher sees it as similar to suggesting to the whole class that they might want to start using deodorant - probably unnecessary for most, but kinder than singling out those who do need it.

Nobody needs a bra, they are a fashion item, invented by the film industry in living memory.

That's not true. Google 'the history of bras' and you'll see that women have been covering and supporting their breasts for aeons.

[RB68]

Why not just tuck T shirts in ffs - for boys and girls so they have a good outline to see if they are doing things properly if nothing else

[Bryjam]

Nobody needs a bra, they are a fashion item, invented by the film industry in living memory.

My tits are at waist level without my bra, so I would argue that I do indeed need a bra.

[movinonup]

Even the tucked in thing bothers me, It's the suggestion that nipples are something to be hidden away.
This wasn't even on DD's radar, Now it is. That makes me annoyed.
Now she wants to wear the crop tops she deemed uncomfortable because this teacher has made her feel like her chest is not to be seen.

@PorkPatrol As I've already said, If a developed girl needs a bra they should not be singled out by a teacher. The teacher should contact the parent and let the parent decide along with the child.
Obviously eye tests are different but you made the statement that all girls should wear bras to make the few that need them feel more comfortable. I was simply replying that I felt that would be ridiculous and where would that kind of attitude end?

[PorkPatrol]

Do you also object to your dd being required to cover her top half for swimming?

[movinonup]

Is she required to? Haven't heard that she has. That certainly isn't a rule on the wall at the local pool and I've seen plenty of girls in just bottoms at the pool.

[Faultymain5]

@PorkPatrol
My DD is 10, does not have any Bikini bottoms, because she has nothing to put in a Bikini Top. She started budding late last year, she requested crop tops two years ago. Way too young for someone not developing. She got them when it became apparent she was entering into puberty.

And crop tops, support nothing when all you are doing is budding. A vest is more apporpriate as it keeps them warmer.

Should the teacher have said something? I'm unsure either way, I think it depends on their reasoning why.

[PorkPatrol]

Aged 9 really??? I’ve never seen a girl older than a toddler in just bottoms at the pool.

[JacquesHammer]

The Pe T-shirt’s my kids have come untucked if they stretch their arms up

Then buy a bigger one

[RiverTam]

I don't object to swimming costumes but equally I don't see the point - no difference between male and female chests pre-puberty. But equally, not all female chests are the same post-puberty and not every girl will need or want to wear a crop top or bra, and I am buggered if I can understand what the fuck this has to do with a teacher.

[movinonup]

Precisely @RiverTam

[PorkPatrol]

The t-shirts fit perfectly. It is the style of the shirt rather than the size that causes it to ride up. Rather than have my dd wear a tshirt down to her knees she just wears a cropped top underneath which has never been a problem.

[JacquesHammer]

The t-shirts fit perfectly. It is the style of the shirt rather than the size that causes it to ride up

How very odd.

Rather than have my dd wear a tshirt down to her knees she just wears a cropped top underneath which has never been a problem

Right, because you/she CHOSE to. Not as a dictat from a member of staff.

[Seeline]

What exactly does your DD say the teacher said?

[OutPinked]

I think it’s likely at least one girl in the class has breasts and the teacher doesn’t want to embarrass them so is making this a general ‘rule’. We all wore crop tops at 9 and moved to tiny bras in year 6.

[Ifangyow]

Can you still buy leotards?
Maybe that is the answer?
@porkpatrol my 9 almost 10 year old granddaughter often goes in the pool in just bikini bottoms. Her choice.
My 6 year old granddaughter runs around on the beach bare naked! Shock horror.