School deems a student’s shirt offensive. Except, well, it wasn’t.
Sophie is in Year 8. She’s a feminist. So she wore a shirt emblazoned with the word to her high school, which does not have an official uniform.
It shouldn’t have been a problem, and yet it became one when each of her classmates assembled for a class photo on that same day.
When Sophie and her mum Christine got Sophie’s school photo back, they were very confused to find that Sophie had been photoshopped.
Speaking to Women You Should Know, mum Christine explained:
On Monday, the pictures were handed out to the students and Sophie sees the photo and notices that the word FEMINIST had been blacked out on her shirt. Sophie went to the school principal, Mrs. Young, to find out why this happened. Mrs. Young said, “the photographer called me and brought it to my attention and I made the decision to black it out because some people might find it offensive.”
Yes. Offensive.
Sophie has done some light photoshopping of her own and photoshopped her tshirt back in so you can appreciate what she looked like that day. Offensive, no?:
Top Comments
I bet if she was advertising Christianity, the defence forces or respecting her elders this kid wouldn't have encountered any resistance. It's pretty clear this wasn't just a whim, but an individual expressing something that was important to her.
I'm embarrassed that the adults around her behaved the way they did.
Both our kids went to a high school in inner Melb with a no uniform policy. Only offensive slogans were banned. A t shirt with the word feminist on it would not have been banned. The students that graduate are very articulate and politically aware and socially critical. 95% go on to uni. The teachers love this policy as they are not wasting time policing uniforms and allow a much more mature and productive teacher- student relationship to occur.