To think telling a child to "cover up" because of male teachers is ewwww?

[FreeeeeeeeFreeFalling]

DD and her mates were wearing fairly standard vest tops at school for an own clothes day. All dressed exactly the same. DD singled out and told to cover up (I suspect because she is slightly larger chested than the others), which she found humiliating. She was told "there are male teachers around" as the reason!
They are 16.
I kind of think if male teachers can't keep their eyes to themselves, they shouldn't be teachers, right?!

AIBU to think this is a bit off?

Why is a vest top not appropriate? Honest question?

She could learn it just fine in a bikini. Why not send her in that?

For all the reason given by all the previous responders.

because a bikini is swimwear. A vest top is not.

Two things can be true at once.

1. it is absolutely unacceptable to frame it as a problem for male teachers, that is icky and wrong. Also if several girls were wearing similar tops they should have all been pulled up or none.
2. that said low cut vest tops are inappropriate in a formal environment and shouldn’t be worn by anyone (male/female/teacher/student).

That’s just a label.

Don't schools have the usual dress code for own clothes day anymore? No midriff, boobs, legs etc... It's fine to wait until the weekends or evenings to let it all hang out.
Good practice, so she's not alarmed when she gets into the workplace.

It’s not just about covering genitalia. That is a ridiculous comment. A 16yo boy wearing a Borat-style mankini is also going to get told to cover up. While the comment about male teachers is not a good one, there is still a lesson for teenagers of both sexes to dress appropriately. School is not a beach, a party, or a nightclub. For the staff it is a workplace, and students should be dressed in (casual, on own-clothes day) workplace wear. Skinny strap vest tops that reveal large amounts of bra and boob are not that.

Rachel Reeves made an announcement in a petrol station yesterday about not increasing fuel duty. She could perfectly well have made the announcement in a vest top like your dd was wearing. It wouldn’t have impacted her ability to do the announcement. She wore a suit. Because she knew she wasn’t on the beach, unlike you and your dd who seem to think beach dress is ok for school.

No one has given a reason though. Just that it’s ‘inappropriate’. She didn’t have her boobs hanging out, or her arse cheeks on display. She was wearing a vest top. Her shoulders would have been bare, as would her arms. The outline of her breasts would have been on display. But so would they if she had a polo neck on. Why is one more ‘appropriate’ than the other? Is it bare skin that bothers people?

Of course a different body shape impacts whether or not an outfit is appropriate! I have a large chest. A neckline that is perfectly modest on someone with a smaller chest can be practically page 3 level on me.

Similarly I'm short. A skirt that is perfectly decent on me would potentially be indecent on someone 5ft11!

Comments like this always make me think of a sight like Peter stringfellow walking about in a florescent mankini. Why not eh?

I don't want to see anyone's near privates thanks, especially in a school or workplace

Eyes are drawn to semi nudity, for better or worse- therefore its distracting

You all wouldn't do well in US schools, where they don't have uniform. I guess all the male teachers in those schools are squirming with awkwardness, and all the girls are not learning anything due to wearing vest tops

My DD’s school has rules for non-uniform days, generally around not showing loads of flesh, which I don’t have a problem with. No mini skirts, no shoulders out, no cleavage etc

It was a non-uniform day?

And most standard vest tops are far lower cut than I would ever wear to my (casual dress code) office.

It's not fair on anyone, male or female, to look round a room and be confronted by cleavage, bum cheeks or any other areas that should be covered. It's not about "not looking" sometimes you literally turn around and get a face full on non uniform days.
It makes teachers feel uncomfortable because some children have made baseless accusations in the past. You don't want to be the one with the complaint on your record because you looked at someone in a classroom. Professional attire should be worn.

But it wasn’t at the beach

As mentioned in my post any teacher or staff member could find it a little awkward or inappropriate to have students who are wearing fewer clothes than would usually worn in a professional environment.

As usual though several posters are being deliberately obtuse and ‘can’t imagine’.

She wasn’t showing her privates? And I make it quite clear that flashing those around isn’t on. But wearing clothes that show the skin of the arms, upper chest, thighs, etc. why is that an issue? Unless they should all wear shapeless clothes because it’s the outline of the body parts that we don’t like?

How is a vest top beach wear?!

Have you seen what a vest top looks like? Because you seem to be mistaking it for a swimsuit, which is an entirely different item of clothing and something you would wear to the beach.

She would be cold

When I first started teaching there used to be the rule of clean, covered and comfortable.
This changed over the years and even where I am now as a TA in a primary school the rules no longer exist, mostly due to parent backlash (girls used to have to put a jumper on if they turned up in crop tops but now even in primary this is let go).

I that case they are used to the students attire so will be aware.

I'm used to eye scanning students as they enter a room to check for incorrect uniform. Hard to train your eyes out of that habit for 1 day.