“Your skirt is too short.”
When hemlines meet headlines: The whole idea of teachers slut-shaming students.
“Your skirt is way too short, young lady. We are calling your parents,”
The next day, her skirt had been altered, hanging six inches longer.
‘I wonder, how can someone like you be this smart!’
Her grades started to plummet.
Then, in front of everyone,
‘Girls, your use of Kajal is basically a tease to the boys. YOU PROVOKE THEM.’
They had hardly hit puberty.
The aforementioned remarks and comments indeed happened. They were aimed at me and my girlfriends. For years. Right in front of boys our age.
By “teachers”.
ALWAYS women.
In many places, especially in India and other societies with patriarchal norms, girls assigned female at birth face the absurd ritual of having their skirts measured at school — a cringe-worthy initiation into the world of misogyny.
I used to think my mom was just being annoying when she’d tell me to cover up or change my outfit. But now I get it. She’s looking out for me and trying to keep me safe from the creeps out there. It’s not okay that girls have to worry about that stuff, but unfortunately, it’s the reality we live in.
But what’s the deal with certain teachers using a girl’s outfit as a reason to publicly humiliate her? I hope they realise (or maybe they quite obviously do) that they’re giving guys a free ticket to act all high and mighty. When they slap the “slut” label on a student in a school context, they’re targeting a young girl who might not have hit puberty yet.
It’s not about sexuality; it’s about scrutinizing and trying to regulate young girls’ bodies in front of young boys for them to learn the same.
These teachers have a PhD in “Women Degrading Women,” and they’re just itching to apply their expertise on students who are barely half their age.
When I recall, there was this one all-rounder girl who was super friendly with a bunch of guys. Not so surprisingly, she didn’t snag the head girl title. Odds are, the teachers weren’t too thrilled about giving her the gig, thinking she wasn’t exactly the ideal “good influence” or role model for the other girls.
If a girl student dares to break the norm — be it transparent nail polish (guilty)— she’s in for some serious shaming. The whole idea of slut-shaming is still alive and kicking, marked by strict lines drawn in the sand.
It’s not right, and it’s definitely NOT fair.
It followed me home, too. The phone calls home from school reporting on my supposed transgressions became dreaded moments. Not just for me, but for my entire family. It felt like a public humiliation, reinforcing the false narrative that I was somehow failing as a student and as a person. The tension at home escalated as my parents grappled with their own concerns about my behavior and appearance. I locked myself up, seeking refuge from the harsh judgments of both my peers and my family.
These experiences didn’t just mess with how I saw myself; they left deep emotional scars that took years to heal.
When a teacher drops a comment that cuts deep, we, as students, internalize that sting. The shame becomes a piece of who we are, seeping into our school performance, friendships, and messing with our body image
My dad finally said, “Enough is enough,” and sent me to a boarding school. Things finally changed. Being away from the constant judgment lifted a huge weight off my shoulders, and my mental well-being skyrocketed. Not only did I excel academically, but I also got into a top-notch college.
It wasn’t until I got to college that I fully realized the extent of the damage inflicted during those early years. The oppressive environment in my elementary school stifled my personal growth.
I later found out it was the same story for many other girls from my old school.
College and boarding school became my safe-havens. I realised my true potential. The teachers there treated us like we were humans. They genuinely cared about our success.
I had finally escaped from a torture camp and was able to breathe freely.
This journey showed me the vast difference between an environment that suffocates and one that nurtures, underscoring the vital role schools play in shaping students’ futures.
Looking back, what motivates these supposedly enlightened teachers, particularly women, to act in such a demeaning manner? It’s a puzzle I’m still trying to solve.
Could it be a mix of power trips, unresolved issues, and a strange desire for control? This article isn’t just a rant — it’s a plea for schools to take a good, hard look at how they operate and make some much-needed changes.
And parents, it wouldn’t hurt to keep an eye out for your kids, either.
So, dear educators, as you reflect on your actions(if you may), consider adding a pinch of self-awareness and a dollop of empathy to your teaching recipe. Who knows, maybe you’ll discover that lifting up your students’ spirits is even more satisfying than bringing them down.
And hey, if all else fails, there’s always a career in stand-up comedy waiting for you!
