Saturday, January 7, 2012

Too Racy?

A high school student in Colorado was told her portrait can't appear in the school yearbook because her outfit is inappropriate.  The story is here.

The picture is below.  What's your opinion?

34 comments:

  1. I like her outfit, but if there is a dress code at the school she attends, then I could see where the issue could come up.

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  2. Well, I wouldn't wear it for a picture for posterity, although my own daughter's senior pictures were considerably less formal than those in 1972.

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  3. Like Sara said, dresscode. High schools are allowed to dictate the level of appropriate dress for their students. I won't comment on the outfit's day-to-day practicality, but yes, if it is inappropriate to wear to class, it is inappropriate for a school yearbook.(Based on your average high school handbook rules)

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  4. Definitely too racy for school, I dont think the pose helps either..

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  5. It's a good picture that looks very classic, but for a yearbook? Nah.

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  6. To begin, it violates dress code so I think the school has the right to refuse to publish it based on that alone.

    The outfit itself I don't find offense. But this is an obvious sexual pose. Her breasts and butt are jutted for emphasis and her expression is clearly meant to be seductive Save it for your modeling career.

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  7. I'm in agreement with the previous commentors Ally, looks like she's trying out for FHM's top 100!

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  8. While my policy is to defend everyone's right to wear anything for any occasion, my gut feeling agrees that her outfit is showing rather much skin to be the kind of formal or semi-formal outfit one would expect in a yearbook portrait, even though it is definitely very pretty and looks good on her! Also - self-expression is awesome (you go girl!), and wearing a dance-related outfit is awesome, but the pose she strikes, to me, looks not like a dancer's, but a "sexy-not-sexual, lol exploitation" Cosmo cover model's / female pop-star's / video game character's pose, assumed primarily not for comfort or display of skills but also for the infamous "male gaze"... so it *feels* to me as if what she's doing is not mere self-expression (which would be awesome - more power to her), but also, trying to look good according to the ridiculously double-binding standards our society produces for young girls.... I don't blame her, "The (Evil, Unfair) System" she lives in sets her up to be criticized either as "too frumpy" or as a "too sexy" somewhere along the way. The idealist in me hopes that the reaction of the public won't be dominated by slut-shaming, but lead to a lively discussion of the aesthetic standards that shape young (and older) minds in this day and age through massive media exposure, but I highly doubt it... ;(

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  9. I'm longing for the day when women of any age stop using sexuality to get attention, the spotlight, etc.. This is a HS girl and she's posing in a very suggestive style. C'mon. Why do we continue to find our beauty in being sexy to a man? THAT, to me, is what is disappointing about this. That this very pretty young girl would even pose like this, NOT whether or not it should be in the yearbook. That part to me is a no brainer...it shouldn't.

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  10. This is pure and simple the cover model for the next playboy or hustler magazine. I am very open about sexy and racy photos and do believe in fashion and expression. but this is a high school year book. There should be levels of uniformity with a whole page of either black and white pictures, or colored pictures of facial shot of those either looking to the left or the right. Boring, simple, and uniform. Since when has it been a chance for you to stand out as such. That was where the class photos, and back pages are for.

    This photo looks like she is ready to shoot porn in the alley. Hustler magazine will probably offer her a deal when she turns 18.....$$$$$$$

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  11. First of all it is a nice picture. JUST not for a yearbook.
    Maybe as part of her model portafolio or her application to a dance school.
    There is a place for everything in life and that picture in a high school yearbook is totally out of place.
    lorena

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  12. Huh ... That's. Awkward. I would never even consider putting a picture like this in the yearbook. Is this really how you want to be remembered?

    http://www.glamkittenslitterbox.com/
    Twitter: @GlamKitten88

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  13. Absolutely too racy!!! Thankfully in most schools in South Africa our kids wear school uniforms so there is no opportunity for something so over the top. Looks like she is auditioning for the Playboy Mansion.

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  14. Waaaaay too racy for a yearbook photo. The pose, the lack of clothes, yeah, no.

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  15. Too much for a yearbook. When I first glanced at it, it looked like one of those black boxes covering her because it would expost too much. I agree with Serene. It looks more like a 20+ year old's picture, not high school.

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  16. Pretty girl, nice quality photo. Extremely inappropriate for this context. And kind of sad that of all the aspects of herself, the only one she wants to showcase is that of sexual desirability. I'm so tired of our teenagers defining themselves, and their "empowerment" by how much attention they can get from men.

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  17. Yeah... I'm not sure I think this is appropriate for a school year book. I don't think there's anything with the outfit, or the photo per say but I don't think I would wear it.

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  18. Well...yes. I'm pretty sure schools (even public schools) have dress codes involving revealing clothing and if this violates that they have every right to say that this isn't in line with their policy. Also, WHO WOULD WANT THAT IN THE YEARBOOK!? Sheesh. This is what FB is for...duh. Not your yearbook. What an idiot.

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  19. I think I agree with the few comments here. She's not really wearing a shirt.

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  20. The pose is a little provocative and the only thing is the top is too short, but honestly you wear what you want right? unless the school has a dress code that prohibits that. For a yearbook, yes it is pretty racy though.

    -Jaz
    http://summerlilacs.blogspot.com/

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  21. I think its not appropriate but thats probably bec I am conservative! the pose is provocation too!

    xo Nav
    http://www.navlandstyle.blogspot.com/

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  22. Heyyy!! It's Claire from Like Spinning Plates but I just recently remade my blog and changed it up a bit and I'm trying to re-follow old friends! :)

    As for this picture, I don't understand why her parents or the school would allow her to wear that top for her yearbook picture. I also think it's odd that they have full body yearbook pics? I've only seen ones that show from the chest up. It's supposed to be about the persons face. Not the body.

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  23. Oh, so many thoughts on this. 1st, yes, I think it's inappropriate for the school yearbook. 2nd, I'm going to argue that this photo is not artistic, it's tacky. She's wearing a shawl as a shirt, not a shirt. If she's trying to portray that she's an exotic dancer and trying to be a playboy model, then that's dead on. I find it odd that her parents are OK w/this. It's annoying to me that we must deal with everything delicately as someone's "right to express themselves". She's a teenager, she's not necessarily making smart decisions in her expressions of self.

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  24. I'm on the fence here. Of course, you have to abide by the school's dress code. But, honestly, I dressed sexy in high school too. It's a time to explore who you are, and part of that is making poor fashion choices.

    I think what bothers me the most is not the picture, but people's reactions to the picture. Believe me, she's not the only girl at her school who dresses like this (and do the critics really think high schoolers aren't having sex and acting sexy?).

    I don't know how to feel about this. Would it be different if a boy posed suggestively with his shirt unbuttoned?

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  25. Yeah, my school didn't allow any midriff baring tops, tube tops, or spaghetti strap tops. No halter tops, either. (Easy to deal with since I'm from Minnesota, right?) I'm sure the outfit she's wearing doesn't meet her school's dress code either...so I totally agree that the picture shouldn't be allowed in the year book. I'm not even going to touch on the pose.

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  26. High school?! Wowza yes this is a very sexy photo- she is beautiful but definitely not high school yearbook appropriate in my book (pun intended!) Off to check out the story

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  27. oh, HELL no!

    Girlfriend is not even wearing a shirt. She's wearing a scarf. I dont think the high school yearbook is the appropriate venue for "sexy".

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  28. Not appropriate for the yearbook at all. If it can't be worn to school, it shouldn't go into the yearbook. And I think this "outfit" would be banned by any school dress code.

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  29. I'm all for freedom of expression, but that photo is not appropriate yearbook material. She's part of a class of others in a book that belongs to all of them, not just her. It's not all about her. I think her choosing to use the yearbook to express herself is just plain selfish. And maybe it'll make me sound like an old prude, but she looks like she's auditioning for a porn shoot.

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  30. For the record... I wrote my comment and then read what everyone else had to say. I am so glad I am not alone on this. :-)

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  31. I think it's the Courtney Stodden effect! ;-)

    Jessica

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  32. I'm with Poet! That girl can analyze my thoughts in a much more eloquent way! :)

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  33. Ok, I'm going to be the dissenter here and say that I don't really see what the big deal is. Who cares about the dress code -- she's not AT school, it's a still photo. No one wears their cap and gown to school either. The photo is sexy to be sure, but it's certainly not the worst thing I've seen a teenage girl wear; it's not like we can see her cleavage or she's wearing hot pants. However, I'm not at all surprised by the overblown response to it. I say let her do it; everyone should be embarrassed years later by their yearbook photo. :-p

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