Ireland school faces backlash for telling girls to avoid 'distracting' clothes

A school in Carlow, Ireland is being criticised after female students were told in an assembly to avoid wearing “distracting” clothes. Girls as young as 12-year-old at Carlow Presentation College were reportedly asked to not wear tight tracksuit bottoms or even leggings in the physical education (PE) or gym classes while avoiding any form-fitting pullover sweaters during the day in the class. 

As per a report by Extra.Ie, the school made the announcement because reportedly some clothing choices of the young girls were “distracting” the staff members especially the male teachers. Students, however, reportedly left the meeting on feeling “disgusted and unsafe”. The media outlet quoted a mother of a 12-year-old saying that her daughter was told ‘no ankles, no knees, no collarbones’ and that they are not allowed to show ‘any skin ever, basically’.

The mother elaborated that her other daughter who is a 16-year-old was told ‘they should have more respect for themselves’. The slightly older girls, according to the mother quoted by the media outlet, was told that they were ‘using their bodies to distract the male teachers’. However, the furious parent trashed the school authorities and the teachers for being ‘distracted’ by 12-to-18-year-old girls and added ‘they should not be teaching’. 

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School’s principal contacted media, clarifies

As per reports, in the wake of the backlash, the school’s principal Ray Murray contacted the local media to clarify that the assembly was about informing the students to adhere to a dress code. He told the local media news program that “it was becoming a fashion show”. He stressed that the PE uniform was not being worn ‘properly’ by the girls which was not the case with the boys. Murray said that girls wore ‘variety of garments, more so leggings’ instead of the tracksuit bottoms. 

The angered students started an online petition on change.org. With the title, “Sexism against female students in school by the staff and students” more than 16,900 people have signed the student-run online petition in response to the assembly. The petition said that the girls “were told that they were not allowed to wear leggings or tight bottoms for PE as they cannot show off the “female anatomy” as it is distracting to the female and male staff of the school- not the students. The staff. this is appalling, majority of students are 12-18 years old and should not feel sexualised by their teachers who they are meant to feel safe around.”

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