One of the best feelings in the world, and the ladies will agree with me, is to take off that goddamn bra every evening. It’s the kind of freedom you feel that puts you at ease and instantly makes you feel better. There are also days when we don’t feel like wearing a bra at all, and honestly, it is absolutely our choice to wear one or not.
However, society loves to impose rules on us because otherwise we ‘distract’ others around us, you know?
When 17-year-old Lizzy Martinez decided to not wear a bra to school one day, she was given bandages by the school authorities to cover her nipples as they were’ distracting’ other students.
I decided not to wear a bra today and got pulled out of class bc one of my teachers complained that it was a “distraction to boys in my class.” My school basically told me that boys’ education is far more important than mine and I should be ashamed of my body. @Manateeschools 🙂
— liz (@lizzymartineez) April 2, 2018
According to a report in NBC, Lizzy said her humiliation began when the school’s principal called her to her office and said a distraction needed to be addressed. Lizzy said,
“She told me that I needed to put a shirt on under my long-sleeve shirt to try to tighten my breasts — to constrict them. And then she asked me to move around.”
However, even after two layers of clothing, the school wasn’t satisfied. She was sent to the school nurse who gave her four bandages to cover her nipples – two for each. Lizzy was humiliated and driven to tears by this point.
Twitter was obviously opinionated about this and it was a mix of positive and negative reactions.
1. They definitely should be ashamed.
they said my outfit was “distracting others” lmk how a long sleeve t-shirt and jeans are distracting.. smh at body shaming if another girl with smaller boobs or a guy was wearing my t-shirt it wouldn’t have been “inappropriate”
— liz (@lizzymartineez) April 3, 2018
2. Here we thought we were past that point.
Unfortunately we still live in a world where a lot of people still think boys not being able to control themselves is a girl's fault. The school was deffo out of line. Stay Strong.
— bblume #FBR #VetsResistSquadron (@wustenratte) April 7, 2018
3. Damn right, it isn’t.
https://twitter.com/ReneeWimmer_/status/983514733084139520
4. Teach the boys, don’t restrict the girls.
omg, as a parent I would go in there and tell them to bring me the boys who were distracted so i could have a word with them about respect because clearly the school isn't going to do it!!!! *angry*
— Laura Wakefield (@LauraWakefil1) April 9, 2018
5. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
No what your school is trying to teach you is, you need to be aware of your surroundings and understand that any thing we do, can have a direct impact on others….something your mother should be teaching you instead of justifying your stupid cause….
— David (@herewego77) April 8, 2018
In a prepared statement, Mitchell Teitelbaum, who is the district’s general counsel, said,
“It is undisputed that this matter should have been handled differently at the school level and corrective measures have been taken to prevent a reoccurrence in the way these matters will be addressed in the future.”
I agree with the dress code that a school requires and everything. But I don’t remember any school manual explicitly saying bras are compulsory for girls. Are vests mandatory for boys? I mean, they have nipples too, right?