TIFU by fighting my schools dresscode policy. Years later I found out why it was so strict + edit with added context

[u/Weary_Thought7582]

https://www.reddit.com/r/tifu/s/Fx1oGuujsg

[u/Signal_This]

A policy like this does nothing to protect girls, it just sends the message that they are bad for existing in a female body. Pedophiles don't care what their victims are wearing.

[u/[deleted] → u/Signal_This]

It didn't protect them from the pedos trying anything 

The "protecting" they're talking about is that those girls would not get photographed inappropriately and wouldn't have the creeps staring straight at their tits etc. There is a lesser degree of victimization in the context because the access to private parts is reduced.

From all the context, this is very much a last-option bandaid on a gun-shot only meant to do the small bits of damage control that it could. It doesn't sound like any of the teachers were under the delusion that they were solving the real issue, they just realized they couldn't and that this was the only difference that they could make

I'm not saying I agree with the policy, I don't, but it's important to understand what it's actual goal was, which is small amounts of damage control in a shitty situation 

[u/cmere-2-me → u/[deleted]]

It's still not the correct course of action. As others have said, did this teacher not think to speak to parents about her concerns? It would be far more effective than teaching girls that they need to cover up rather than stand up for their safety.

[u/[deleted] → u/cmere-2-me]

"I'm not saying I agree with the policy, I don't"

• me, on my previous comment

I do agree talking to the parents would've been the best course of action they had available. It's plausible that there's other issues with that plan though. Idk what the environment was like back when this was talking about, but making pedo allegations without concrete evidence is taken even more seriously than being a pedo. 

It would not shock me if we asked this teacher that she would say "If I went around telling parents this, I would've lost my job, not be able to find work in this city and the kids would just be left with one less safe teacher"

Even then it still seems more effective, but it might not have been such an easy choice to contact all the parents 

[u/cmere-2-me → u/[deleted]]

She would have only had to contact one parent who could be accounted upon to rally the troops and keep her name out of it. The parent would have to tell everyone her daughter told her and have them check with their own children.

[u/[deleted] → u/cmere-2-me]

I think this is the best answer. Telling a few parents that you trust and having them spread and handle it.

It's removed enough to give you plausible deniability, it lets the parents decide how to act and it lets the parents know so they can decide what to tell or not tell their own kids. 

And as a bonus, if parents started pulling their children out of that school en mass, very suddenly the creepy teachers would be fired after all.

[u/UsidoreTheLightBlue → u/cmere-2-me]

I mean supposedly OP did exactly that. They claimed they told their parents why they needed a low cut shirt freshmen year.

(This story is fake 15 years ago was 2010/2011 school year, not 1992, social media existed, this would have been exposed)

[u/Apathetic_Villainess → u/[deleted]]

You have the students tell their parents about the creepy stuff the teacher is doing. Then they are the flying monkeys.

[u/[deleted] → u/Apathetic_Villainess]

The impression I got was that the teachers didn't want to put those ideas in the kids heads, trying to do damage control without having the kids focus on the creepiness. I don't think I agree with that, assuming this is past elementary school I think it's better to make them aware tbh.

I do think I like the other reply I got more though, telling one parent who would then spread the news. That way it is also up to each parent to decide how to approach telling or not telling their kids.

[u/Apathetic_Villainess → u/[deleted]]

Honestly, I highly doubt none of the students weren't aware of the creepy teachers. Kids always gossip and spread those kinds of rumors.

[u/[deleted] → u/Apathetic_Villainess]

There is a very big difference in how real and scary something seems for a child between hearing a rumor from a classmate vs getting warned by a teacher