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?

Really?

I have big boobs and I manage to find clothes that don’t expose skin.

tshirts generally do the trick.

sigh. She wasn’t in a bikini, or knickers or otherwise. She was in a tank top. If a lad was wearing a pair of tight shorts and a form fitting tank top on a non-uniform day it should cause no issue. Same as a girl in a tank top.

Can’t wear T-shirts in a school. And blouses are uniform in most of them.

Maybe teachers should be issued with blindfolds so they dont accidently see anything.

That’s why I always think uniform in school is a great thing. My 1980s primary school didn’t have uniform and I hated it. It was less about money than that my parents made me wear sensible things (Clarke’s sandals and such) while everyone else wore designed and sports gear and such. I was bullied and teased. Having a uniform in secondary saved me!

A female wearing a vest top is not the same as a male being topless. If I'm walking around a supermarket someone wearing a vest wouldn't even register as it's so inoffensive, but I hate seeing men walking around without a top on, and no girl or woman would do that.

I think given the fact that it was hot today, wearing vest tops was fine - even shorts with them was OK (to just above the knee preferably,) and telling the girls that they cannot wear them 'because male teachers' is batshit IMO.

Were the boys told to wear long sleeves, long trouser legs, and tops up to their chin, because there are female teachers? Yeah, I bet they weren't!

YANBU @FreeeeeeeeFreeFalling

It's a non uniform day and it's most likely quite warm (if this was today) I don't see why a vest top is so bad tbh it's a normal piece of clothing it's not like she was wearing just a bra or something

The male teacher idea isn't nonsense. They are scared of any sort of accusation. Even saying a skirt is too short opens up "why are you looking peado" comments. I've heard male staff question students footwear choices and be called a peado for "looking near my legs".

I have had boys say "why are you looking" when I've asked them to pull trousers up over their bum crack.

When thy cups runneth over?

Think school attire should probably be in line with work casual dress standards
it’s nothing to do with perving, it’s just not appropriate

If the said vest would be appropriate in a professional work environment, then it’s fine.
It sounds like it was slightly too revealing in this case.
I personally wouldn’t wear a standard vest top to a business meeting where my bust could be partially visible. And I have a modest size bust. I simply wouldn’t do it, it’s unprofessional. There are plenty of almost vest tops, in nice fabrics that look smart, keep you cool and still look very feminine without being revealing.
Teenagers will learn what is suitable for every occasion as they get older. Not the end of the world. But, ultimately, schools are not dissimilar to places of work. So a certain dress code is expected of both pupils and teachers.

Again, you can do this without being sexual. How do you think police officers manage? Do female staff complain about having to look at the boys, or can they manage to run their eyes over them a few times without it looking like their lusting after them? It’s not because girls have more on show, it’s because we have allowed the sexualisation of the female body far more than the male. Making girls cover up will not make that stop, in fact it’s the opposite that will have the greatest effect. Make it normal

The ''There are male teachers around'' comment was completely inappropriate and I would report this.

If there was an issue they should just have been told that they were not meeting the school dress code.

Bringing the concept that girls and women have to cover up on a sunny day just because men can't help themselves/will sexualise them is frankly appalling.

If male teachers can't cope with the fact that teenage girls have breasts and growing bodies in general, they should not be working in that environment.

This, totally this

Well then maybe male teachers shouldn't make comments on what the girls are wearing! OR the boys for that matter! In fact, female teachers don't need to comment either!

I dont know how much more simply I can say this.

Its not about feeling 'uncomfortable about skin'.

Do you really not understand the concept of a dress code? Part of a schools job is to help prepare the kids for the outside world, where they will be expected to dress appropriately for the situation. Its not doing them any favours to pretend that this isn't a thing. Its not about people having weird hang ups about skin!

Also there is peer pressure on girls to dress in a sexualised way, which boys don't have to contend with, and its supportive to the girls to remove this issue with a dress code so they just don't have to worry about it - a PP put this very well.

It's not me being sexual.

It's the comments you get from the students! Male staff get accused of being pedophiles if they so much as glance.

Good grief, it was 27-28C today in some parts of the country! Some girls wore vest tops on a 'wear what you want day at school' day! Big WOW. Some people are so dramatic on here sometimes. 🙄

Erm. When I can see bum cheeks or crack I will comment.

and yet the man who went to prison not long ago for a relationship with minor was a teacher and the girl was 15

I have 30ff boobs
if im on a night out or on the beach or at the gym they are pretty obvious
at work I wear things that are appropriate for a work environment, that does not include vest tops
school is a work environment

We are specifically discussing a non uniform day.

So the person in question definitely could have worn a t shirt.

I agree very much with your last paragraph, but this needs to be tackled through education, not policing what girls wear. They need to be responsible for their own clothing choices.
I respectfully disagree about preparing them for working environments. There is no such thing as a standard dress code anymore. Absolutely, if your workplace has a code you should adhere to it; despite what some people think on here, I get the concept of rules 😁. However, plenty of workplaces allow women to wear tank tops, short dresses etc, or have no dress code at all. Plenty of women work from home and have no dress code. I don’t think this is such a cut and dried argument at all.