Teen Pens Furious Letter To Teacher After Being Told Her Dress Was 'Sexually Distracting' To Male Students

A 17-year-old high school student has hit out at her school's 'discriminatory' dress code, after she was informed by her vice principal that her halter neck maxi dress was too inappropriate for her to wear at school.

Lauren Wiggins, a student at Harrison Trimble High School in Canada, published her furious response to the school's outcry over her choice of ensemble on her Facebook page, slamming vice principal Shane Sturgeon's suggestion that her floor-length dress was a 'sexual distraction' for male pupils at the school.

Having already received a detention because of her outfit, she was later suspended by her teachers because of the letter.

'Today I received a detention because the outfit I am wearing is considered inappropriate and a sexual distraction to the young men in my school,' she commented on her Facebook page.

'Enough is enough. I'm tired of the unjust standards that we as women are held up to. I'm tired of the discrimination against our bodies, and I'm absolutely fed up with comments that make us feel like we can't be comfortable without being provocative. It's time to change the worlds mindset. Now.'

Lauren published a picture of herself wearing the 'offending' ensemble, along with an image of her three-page handwritten letter, which was addressed 'Dear Sturgeon'.

Miss Wiggins' Facebook post has thus far received dozens of comments from supporters, including her father, Paul, who wrote on her post: 'I saw your outfit this morning, and there is nothing "provocative" about it!!

'Perhaps your teachers should learn that 16-18 year old boys get a hard on if the wind blows!! Tell your teachers to call me - I'm sure I'll have something to say!!! [sic]'

He later added: 'Good letter, Honey. Stand up for yourself, like I taught you, especially if you believe you're right. If you get grief from the letter, tell Shane Sturgeon to phone me!!! [sic]'

Mr Wiggins goes on to label Mr Sturgeon's behavior as 'petty', noting that he doesn't 'usually get involved in this kind of s***', but that he felt it necessary on this occasion because he was worried that his daughter's teacher was 'more concerned with his own prurient interests than those of his male students'.

According to CBC News, Miss Wiggins' mother Carly has also publicly supported her daughter's choice of outfit, noting that the teen actually wore the dress to a job interview and was hired immediately afterwards.

'She wore it to a job interview and was hired, and told how nice she looked, so, I mean, what's wrong with that?' she questioned.

The school's official dress policy, which is available on its website, states that 'shirts exposing shoulders and/or backs and/or midriffs (spaghetti straps, tube tops, halter tops)' are all banned.


LAUREN WIGGINS' LETTER IN FULL:

Dear Sturgeon,

I have a concern I would like to bring to your attention. In today’s society, a woman’s body is constantly discriminated against and hypersexualized to the point where we can no longer wear the clothing that we feel comfortable in without the accusation and/or assumption that we are being provocative. This unjust mindset towards women is absolutely absurd.

The fact that authority figures, especially males, can tell young women they must cover up their shoulders and their backs because it’s “inappropriate” and “a distraction” is very uncomforting. Schools are the social building blocks in an adolescent’s life meant to teach them how to communicate and develop relationships with others and also learning about themselves and who they want to be. It’s preached upon us to be individual, to be ourselves.
I am not showing off my back and shoulders to gain positive sexual feedback

The double standard here is that when we try, we are then told we’re wrong. We may not truly dress, act or speak how we want because authority figures, and I use that term very loosely such as yourself, tell us we can’t.

Yes, I understand there are restrictions to how much and how little of your body that shows, but that applies when people show up in their bikinis or bra and panties. Though I do believe women should legally be allowed to publicly be shirtless considering males are, it’s mindsets like yours that keep that as something that is shamed upon.

So no, Mr. Sturgeon, I will not search for something to cover up my back and shoulders because I am not showing them off with the intention to gain positive sexual feedback from the teenage boys in my school. I am especially not showing them to receive any comments, positive or negative, from anybody else besides myself because the only person who can make any sort of judgment on my body and the fabrics I place on it is me.

If you are truly so concerned that a boy in this school will get distracted by my upper back and shoulders then he needs to be sent home and practice self control.

Thank you, have a nice day.

Lauren Wiggins




Source: dailymail.co.uk