AIBU to think schools shouldn't promote breast binding to 11 year old girls?

[OhHolyJesus]

Article in the Times today about a top grammar school.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/913e7f94-b038-11eb-b844-593e41a4a1a5?shareToken=96489378584664b8e46495232a22b86a

From the comments you can see the parents weren't aware.

The school isn't "promoting breast binding to girls".

A newsletter prepared by pupils included an article on how to breast bind safely.

I'm not in favour of breast binding in any way but your post and the headline of that paper is dogwhistle alarmist rubbish.

This is horrendous, it's absolutely vile. One of the links from the school newsletter goes to a website that has an offer for free Play Packs for engaging in "group sex and/or chemsex". People can send off for free condoms, lube and fisting gloves. Which is one thing if you're an adult and want to do that. But this has been sent to children. twitter.com/SafeSchools_UK/status/1391282628993724418

@Lockheart

The school isn't "promoting breast binding to girls".

A newsletter prepared by pupils included an article on how to breast bind safely.

I'm not in favour of breast binding in any way but your post and the headline of that paper is dogwhistle alarmist rubbish.

This

If the students wanted to publish it and the school didn't allow it, there would still be a group of outraged people.

Schools can't win with this type of thing.

There is no way to 'bind' safely and you think children should be at liberty to send anything they like to other children without a teacher or an adult taking a cursory glance over the content?

Ok.

The comments on the article show similar concern. It's not alarmist, if you think it is then don't read the safe schools alliance stuff. I'm reading it now. It's not just about 'binding' restricting your breathing due to an ideological base of wanting to flatten your growing breasts

From

Silver Lady
1H AGO

Breast ironing (a practice carried out on predominantly black girls using hot stones) is considered to be a safeguarding issue and must be reported. Yet breast binding that can have dreadful long terms impacts on a girl's body, just as foot binding used to, is celebrated!
Incoherent, hypocritical and downright dangerous.

Is it possible to breastbind safely? One of the links lists a number of risks from binding and then says "Discussing the option of surgery with patients can serve as a way to mitigate the negative impacts of long-term binding, since getting top surgery would reduce or eliminate the need to continue binding. "

www.prideinpractice.org/articles/chest-binding-physician-guide/
And schools are responsible for what they send to students regardless off who wrote it - it's not a free for all.

Did you see the comment from the school? They want to provide information for curious girls. The school should be talking to them about how harmful and sexist breast binding is snd provide suppprt to girls who feel they want to do it. Not let a bunch of sixth formers send out links to dubious sites telling them how to do it safely.

Ffs I have no idea what is wrong with people. I would be apoplectic if my daughters school sent out this.

It's a massive breach of safeguarding. But on no, easier to get hung up on a single word in the OPs post.

Binding is so dangerous. It also restricts the ability to exercise. Which of course is known to improve mental health. So it's a practice that isolates the child even further. While all their friends are out walking and enjoying the sun and fresh air, someone who binds may well he stuck at home In doors alone unable to participate.

A sure fire way to make a child feel even worse than they do already.

What if an abused child wrote something about how she is 'loved' in the newsletter?

What if a young girl has an older boyfriend 'teaching' her? Should that be included too?

For a school that has a strict school uniform code they seem to have dropped the reigns when it comes to the content of this newsletter. I hope they are getting some calls from parents tomorrow.

There is no way to 'bind' safely

I agree.

and you think children should be at liberty to send anything they like to other children without a teacher or an adult taking a cursory glance over the content?

Did I say that? No.

You said the school was promoting this. Which is patently untrue. The school is not promoting it, a pupil-produced newsletter included some links.

You are trying to whip up outrage by making it seem like breast binding is an officially promoted practice to all pupils coming from teachers (the school). Which it clearly is not.

I'm as gender critical as they come, but for god's sake have some standards and the pride not to engage in this Daily Mail-esque "won't somebody think of the children??!" crap. Use your brain and consider the actual information at hand, not just what you want to see because it shores up your position.

Let's deal with facts and not extrapolated idiocy.

@Mrgrinch

If the students wanted to publish it and the school didn't allow it, there would still be a group of outraged people.

Schools can't win with this type of thing.

Schools are not there to appease parents or angry woke sixth formers. They are there to teach children and their number one priority is to safeguard children. Which they have monumentally failed to do.

The materials came from the school. Children don't have email distribution lists for other pupils, the school has its name on it. If they do then that's a safeguarding risk on its own.

If they don't check the content that's on them. The responsibility is absolutely with the school.

If it was a bunch of kids doing it on their own from home and with a decent desktop publishing package with children subscribing to it with their own email addresses it would be a completely different situation.

The school are promoting self harm, possibly without the knowledge of the HT. If so I bet the call from The Times came as a shock.

@Lockheart did you read the schools comment? They think that this newsletter was fine. That they are providing information to curious children.

Ok they may not be strictly promoting it in that they are not saying "everyone should do it" but they are 100% endorsing it and that is just as bad.

The links in the newsletter went to sites selling play packs for chemsex and fisting gloves and talked about anal sex. You could absolutely argue that by providing these links the school is endorsing if not promoting such things. To 11 year olds.

I actually think we need a bit more bloody outrage.

I'm in two minds because saying nothing is also wrong - there are safer ways to reduce the visual appearance of breasts eg sports bras and crop tops under clothing, but as young as 11 doesn't seem age appropriate. If it had only gone out to the sixth form I would suggest it was reasonable. It also shows the danger of linking to external websites because their was inappropriate content on it other than the intended article.

I know people who have transitioned and also those who didn't go through with it after living socially as the opposite sex - being able to "try out" living as a "man" before drugs and surgery is crucial to avoid people transitioning them regretting. I'm wary about the huge numbers of teens who are gender confused, but saying no is burying your heads in the sand. Being safe is the key

There is a massive difference between burying your head in the sand and letting sixth formers send links to self harm and adult sites to 11 year olds. That is grooming. It's the antithesis of safeguarding.

Children who want to bind their breasts need support and safeguarding. Not sent to self harm sites.

@OhHolyJesus

The materials came from the school. Children don't have email distribution lists for other pupils, the school has its name on it. If they do then that's a safeguarding risk on its own.

If they don't check the content that's on them. The responsibility is absolutely with the school.

If it was a bunch of kids doing it on their own from home and with a decent desktop publishing package with children subscribing to it with their own email addresses it would be a completely different situation.

The school are promoting self harm, possibly without the knowledge of the HT. If so I bet the call from The Times came as a shock.

Completely agree

You said the school was promoting this. Which is patently untrue. The school is not promoting it, a pupil-produced newsletter included some links.

But the my school distributed it.

The school bears the responsibility for checking and acting as editor - they should have thoroughly checked it. It’s a controversial topic, they know this.

The sixth-form students have also missed out on the experience of having a real-world example of responsibility in publishing.

Content distributed by a school should always be checked. So it doesn’t matter who created it.

Otherwise you could have anything goes, racism etc

What the fuck did I just read?

Missed opportunity for children to be informed about what are dangerous activities. Some children will already be aware or have direct knowledge or experience. These materials just imply there is no problem.

Is it really safe? It wasn't an option when I was growing up and here I am , no lasting physical or mental harm done , which is unlikely to be the case with binders

We need to change the world that makes girls hate their bodies not the bodies

Oh god. I was actually thinking of sending my girls to that school until I read this. We live in the area and have been prepping for the 11+ But I’m afraid this is a dealbreaker. Not just that the newsletter went out, but that the school has defended it.

This would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. Nowadays, I sometimes feel as though I have been transported to a parallel universe. What is going on?

I fear for the future and what kind of world it will be when my grandchildren are adults.

I find it all deeply disturbing and utterly depressing.

That’s so upsetting.

I wonder how many people on this thread think that, if sex education and access to condoms wasn't provided, teens simply wouldn't have sex?