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High School Boys Expose Sexist Double Standards In Viral TikTok
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High School Boys Expose Sexist Double Standards In Viral TikTok

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A group of boys in College Heights Secondary School in British Columbia has recently gone viral for organizing a crop top protest. Initially posted by one of the students named Mason Boudreau, 17, on TikTok, the video amassed over two million views and received tons of support.

“Girls at my high school just got dress coded for the dumbest reasons, like ripped jeans or a rip too high or wearing leggings,” he said. So he gathered a group of boys and showed up to school in crop tops or other “scandalous clothing.” They wanted to find out if the school principals would penalize them the same way they did girls.

And surprise, surprise! “There were probably about 15 of us… and none of us got sent home,” Mason told the press. Speaking of double standards, it turned out that sexism in school is much more systematic than sexist dress code rules.

Another TikToker, Solvej Wren, has reshared the original video of boys protesting in crop tops, praising their initiative

Image credits: solvej_wren

She said that moms are really proud of them for challenging the world that’s often unfair and hostile to girls

There were about 15 boys in College Heights Secondary School in British Columbia who turned up wearing crop tops to protest the sexist dress code

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Image credits: solvej_wren

Image credits: solvej_wren

Image credits: solvej_wren

Dress is broadly protected as a form of free speech under the first amendment of the Constitution, but when it comes to schools, the courts have recognized the unique needs of the school environment. Therefore, most states in the US have laws that permit schools to regulate student dress as long as the purposes of doing so are clearly connected to insuring a safe and comfortable learning environment.

On the other hand, research of the effects that dress code and school uniform policies bring is still pretty inconclusive and mixed, reports an Education Commission of the States Policy Report. Some researchers find positive effects; others claim no effects or only perceived effects.

@solvej_wren##duet with @meat.man905 ##SpotifyWrapped ##AmazonMusicJingleBellTok ##TheSplashDance♬ I AM WOMAN – ❦ emmy meli ❦

Many people applauded the boys and said that they give us all hope in our society

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Others pointed out how proud they are of Gen Z, a generation that often becomes a target of harsh criticism

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Moreover, “being called out for a dress code violation is extremely embarrassing, and it directly impacts girls’ learning experience. When making my documentary, I was often told that dress codes are in place to prevent girls from distracting male students. This clearly places boys’ education above that of girls’, since being pulled out of the classroom and sent home to change clothes is very clearly distracting from learning.”

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“Dress codes purport the idea that male students can’t control themselves,” which makes them also sexist towards men

But dress codes are also sexist toward men, as they purport the idea that male students can’t control themselves. “Many boys told me while making my documentary that they themselves didn’t understand the dress code and hated the idea that school administrators assumed they were predators,” Maggie said and added that “Clearly what this showed was that administrators themselves were sexualizing young girls.”

“The principal I interviewed in the documentary insinuated that girls at the last school he worked at were frequently sexually harassed because of what they wore, and that my school’s dress code was a preventative measure. This shows the sexist attitude of victim-blaming—when women and girls are told that it’s their fault for being harassed or assaulted instead of the perpetrator’s.”

Recently, Maggie wrote an adult paranormal fantasy romance series, and the first two novels are now up for pre-order on Amazon and iBooks. “The Discovered” is releasing January 4th, 2022, and “The Coveted” on February 4th.

Another person said that even though she doesn’t see crop top as an appropriate dressing choice for school, she’s still proud of the boys

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Liucija Adomaite

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Liucija Adomaite is a creative mind with years of experience in copywriting. She has a dynamic set of experiences from advertising, academia, and journalism. This time, she has set out on a journey to investigate the ways in which we communicate ideas on a large scale. Her current mission is to find a magic formula for how to make ideas, news, and other such things spread like a virus.

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Liucija Adomaite

Liucija Adomaite

Writer, Community member

Liucija Adomaite is a creative mind with years of experience in copywriting. She has a dynamic set of experiences from advertising, academia, and journalism. This time, she has set out on a journey to investigate the ways in which we communicate ideas on a large scale. Her current mission is to find a magic formula for how to make ideas, news, and other such things spread like a virus.

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Ilona Baliūnaitė

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I'm a Visual Editor at Bored Panda since 2017. I've searched through a multitude of images to create over 2000 diverse posts on a wide range of topics. I love memes, funny, and cute stuff, but I'm also into social issues topics. Despite my background in communication, my heart belongs to visual media, especially photography. When I'm not at my desk, you're likely to find me in the streets with my camera, checking out cool exhibitions, watching a movie at the cinema or just chilling with a coffee in a cozy place

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Ilona Baliūnaitė

Ilona Baliūnaitė

Author, BoredPanda staff

I'm a Visual Editor at Bored Panda since 2017. I've searched through a multitude of images to create over 2000 diverse posts on a wide range of topics. I love memes, funny, and cute stuff, but I'm also into social issues topics. Despite my background in communication, my heart belongs to visual media, especially photography. When I'm not at my desk, you're likely to find me in the streets with my camera, checking out cool exhibitions, watching a movie at the cinema or just chilling with a coffee in a cozy place

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elizabethjamey avatar
LadyEncredible Rand
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The thing that always annoyed me about dress codes was it wasn't wasn't the teenage boys (they never really cared either way. If they found a girl attractive, she was attractive no matter what she wore) it was the grown ass men and women, teachers, that were uncomfortable. Stop sexualizing young girls and then what she's wearing won't be a distraction.

dundun avatar
DUN DUN
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Don't tell me NO TEACHER in their school understood the ridiculousness of the "DressCode" after this!

kimitomminello avatar
Kimi Tomminello
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'd like to agree but I can never underestimate the ignorance of some people.

Load More Replies...
benlensgraf avatar
Thorfin Wolfsbane
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Since when is 'nuts' a bad word? Even Boredpanda doesn't censor it.

raymartin avatar
Ray Martin
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I figured it was probably "nips", but I just don't know about this idiotic censorship anymore.

Load More Replies...
mysteryegg avatar
Mystery Egg
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love that young lads are doing this these days. Would never had happened in the 90's when I was in school. Good on them

monica_felix1 avatar
monkeydog
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Okay, so nice that they're supporting the young women but this really just underscores the fact that not only are the women punished for dressing this way but the guys earn Internet fame and praise for it. This is getting to the level of dads getting a standing ovation for changing a diaper.

ma-lahann avatar
marianne eliza
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If a dress code exists anywhere, it should be exactly the same for males and females. Look what happened at the Olympics when the girls refused to wear the bikinis, while boys could wear shorts and tank tops. If the "grown-ups" think that boys will be too excited, then the problem is with the boys.

camlynn1234 avatar
Miss Frankfurter
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Good on you guys! I'm not a fan of crop tops in school, but that's just me. But, they should not have a double standard 😠. Obviously the parents are cool with their daughters wearing crop tops, so, there you go. To automatically asssume (yes, I meant to put all the s's in) that it will distract the boys and cause them to sexualize the girls is an insult to them. They deserve more credit than that. If there's an issue, talk to the boy. He's the one with the problem. When I read Emily Johnson's comment about short hair policy and no earrings rule, WTF? I'm a fan of uniforms, but it seems the majority are not. So then as far as street clothes, let's get some sanity into all of this. As far as school administration is concerned there's the old saying "Get your mind out of the gutter, you're crowding me". It must be pretty crowded in there. I'm not one of them though.

alexiscisneros avatar
ALEXIS CISNEROS
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

in my school as long as your bra straps are not showing you can wear whatever the hell you want. Boys and girls regularly don´t follow gender conforming clothes , and boys often wear full faces of makeup. They all look fabulous btw

mdr_1 avatar
Potato
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

“You're required to wear a bra but we definitely don't want to know you're wearing it”

Load More Replies...
150073 avatar
Hot Babushka
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm so thankful that my school has no dress code except no inappropriate images, drug and alchohol references, or gang stuff. I'm really lucky :)

matthewkemp avatar
Matthew Kemp
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why does this reference laws from The United States? British Columbia is a province of Canada.

levpertsov avatar
Loty
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Gen Xers should take this page from Gen Z. Men, show up to work in short skirts to protests ridiculous work dress code where women are free to wear above knee skirts, open toe shoes with no socks and sleevless shirts while men are suffocating in long pants, socks, shoes and jackets.

natalie_kirman avatar
Natalie Kirman
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Whatever a person is or isn't wearing, nothing justifies anyone touching them without their consent. It is as simple as that.

natalybills avatar
VogueGal
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Luckily I went to school where we had to wear uniforms, so no double standards occurred!

rpeaslea_1 avatar
Pat Bond
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

These lads are so concerned with the issue that only one of them knows how to wear a facemask. I get the overwhelming feeling these lads are trying to impress the ladies, flexing their muscles, trying to look hard, talking about licking nuts and being so down with the issues. You wear school uniform in my country. We don't have these issues.

boredpanda_48 avatar
ZAPanda
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

School uniforms were invented by the Prussians and copied by the British to enforce uniformity, conformity, and preparation for military action. It's grotesque.

Load More Replies...
danielshadowdrakken avatar
Daniel (ShadowDrakken)
Community Member
2 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Proof that crop tops look awful on everyone XD But good on those kids for standing up for true equality!

truthmonster00 avatar
Truth Monster
Community Member
2 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Maybe they were afraid to send boys home who were wearing "girl's clothes" for the fear of being accused of transphobia.

suzannehaigh avatar
Tee Witt
Community Member
2 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

I never had problems like this in school. Think it is a USA thing. Also how Gen X is saving the world, who brought Gen X up? and who brought them up? One generation is the product of the previous generations, stop blaming the boomers and face facts.

boredpanda_48 avatar
ZAPanda
Community Member
2 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

To anyone who mentiones School uniforms - these were invented by the Prussians and copied by the British to enforce uniformity, conformity, and preparation for military action. It's grotesque. One of the things I like about American schools is they don't bother with this (except the private schools, which think that copying british pretensiousness is something good). Go watch Pink Floyd's THE WALL to see british schooling, or at least how it was till the 80s. My own kids go to a school where there's no uniform. There's no hairstyle code either. They love it.

rpeaslea_1 avatar
Pat Bond
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Where are you getting this misinformation on the Prussians inventing school uniforms and the British copying them? It is believed that the Christ Hospital School in London in 1552 was the first school to use a school uniform. The earliest documented proof of institutionalised use of a standard academic dress dates back to 1222 when the then Archbishop of Canterbury ordered the wearing of the cappa clausa.' Also I hate to break it you Pink Floyd are very much the result of very good British schooling, they may not have liked it, but they did extremely well as a result of it preparing them for life. The irony is they all sent their children to very good private schools.

Load More Replies...
uwprof avatar
just another drone
Community Member
2 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Nobody should wear a crop top to school, boy or girl.

iankelly avatar
mamalama82 avatar
mamalama27
Community Member
2 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Maybe both the boys and girls should be focused on the actual learning instead of how much attention they can call to their belly buttons. What's wrong with everyone being required to wear an actual shirt to school? This is becoming ridiculous and those kids (and parents who let them) should be ashamed to dress like that to begin with.

iankelly avatar
Ian Kelly
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The issue was not that the shirt was not allowed, but that the shirt was not allowed only for girls, and this keeps repeating. To summarize the clothing was not an issue, the targeting of “female” clothing was

Load More Replies...
aaron-j-dettmer avatar
kathrynhatfield avatar
KatHat
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No one's dying on any hills, they're protesting inconsistency and injustice. Why do you think that's a bad thing?

Load More Replies...
strayeivor avatar
Damon
Community Member
2 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Just imagine the poor underpaid teachers trying to do their jobs while this disrupted every lesson

elizabethjamey avatar
LadyEncredible Rand
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The thing that always annoyed me about dress codes was it wasn't wasn't the teenage boys (they never really cared either way. If they found a girl attractive, she was attractive no matter what she wore) it was the grown ass men and women, teachers, that were uncomfortable. Stop sexualizing young girls and then what she's wearing won't be a distraction.

dundun avatar
DUN DUN
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Don't tell me NO TEACHER in their school understood the ridiculousness of the "DressCode" after this!

kimitomminello avatar
Kimi Tomminello
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'd like to agree but I can never underestimate the ignorance of some people.

Load More Replies...
benlensgraf avatar
Thorfin Wolfsbane
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Since when is 'nuts' a bad word? Even Boredpanda doesn't censor it.

raymartin avatar
Ray Martin
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I figured it was probably "nips", but I just don't know about this idiotic censorship anymore.

Load More Replies...
mysteryegg avatar
Mystery Egg
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love that young lads are doing this these days. Would never had happened in the 90's when I was in school. Good on them

monica_felix1 avatar
monkeydog
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Okay, so nice that they're supporting the young women but this really just underscores the fact that not only are the women punished for dressing this way but the guys earn Internet fame and praise for it. This is getting to the level of dads getting a standing ovation for changing a diaper.

ma-lahann avatar
marianne eliza
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If a dress code exists anywhere, it should be exactly the same for males and females. Look what happened at the Olympics when the girls refused to wear the bikinis, while boys could wear shorts and tank tops. If the "grown-ups" think that boys will be too excited, then the problem is with the boys.

camlynn1234 avatar
Miss Frankfurter
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Good on you guys! I'm not a fan of crop tops in school, but that's just me. But, they should not have a double standard 😠. Obviously the parents are cool with their daughters wearing crop tops, so, there you go. To automatically asssume (yes, I meant to put all the s's in) that it will distract the boys and cause them to sexualize the girls is an insult to them. They deserve more credit than that. If there's an issue, talk to the boy. He's the one with the problem. When I read Emily Johnson's comment about short hair policy and no earrings rule, WTF? I'm a fan of uniforms, but it seems the majority are not. So then as far as street clothes, let's get some sanity into all of this. As far as school administration is concerned there's the old saying "Get your mind out of the gutter, you're crowding me". It must be pretty crowded in there. I'm not one of them though.

alexiscisneros avatar
ALEXIS CISNEROS
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

in my school as long as your bra straps are not showing you can wear whatever the hell you want. Boys and girls regularly don´t follow gender conforming clothes , and boys often wear full faces of makeup. They all look fabulous btw

mdr_1 avatar
Potato
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

“You're required to wear a bra but we definitely don't want to know you're wearing it”

Load More Replies...
150073 avatar
Hot Babushka
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm so thankful that my school has no dress code except no inappropriate images, drug and alchohol references, or gang stuff. I'm really lucky :)

matthewkemp avatar
Matthew Kemp
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why does this reference laws from The United States? British Columbia is a province of Canada.

levpertsov avatar
Loty
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Gen Xers should take this page from Gen Z. Men, show up to work in short skirts to protests ridiculous work dress code where women are free to wear above knee skirts, open toe shoes with no socks and sleevless shirts while men are suffocating in long pants, socks, shoes and jackets.

natalie_kirman avatar
Natalie Kirman
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Whatever a person is or isn't wearing, nothing justifies anyone touching them without their consent. It is as simple as that.

natalybills avatar
VogueGal
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Luckily I went to school where we had to wear uniforms, so no double standards occurred!

rpeaslea_1 avatar
Pat Bond
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

These lads are so concerned with the issue that only one of them knows how to wear a facemask. I get the overwhelming feeling these lads are trying to impress the ladies, flexing their muscles, trying to look hard, talking about licking nuts and being so down with the issues. You wear school uniform in my country. We don't have these issues.

boredpanda_48 avatar
ZAPanda
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

School uniforms were invented by the Prussians and copied by the British to enforce uniformity, conformity, and preparation for military action. It's grotesque.

Load More Replies...
danielshadowdrakken avatar
Daniel (ShadowDrakken)
Community Member
2 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Proof that crop tops look awful on everyone XD But good on those kids for standing up for true equality!

truthmonster00 avatar
Truth Monster
Community Member
2 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Maybe they were afraid to send boys home who were wearing "girl's clothes" for the fear of being accused of transphobia.

suzannehaigh avatar
Tee Witt
Community Member
2 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

I never had problems like this in school. Think it is a USA thing. Also how Gen X is saving the world, who brought Gen X up? and who brought them up? One generation is the product of the previous generations, stop blaming the boomers and face facts.

boredpanda_48 avatar
ZAPanda
Community Member
2 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

To anyone who mentiones School uniforms - these were invented by the Prussians and copied by the British to enforce uniformity, conformity, and preparation for military action. It's grotesque. One of the things I like about American schools is they don't bother with this (except the private schools, which think that copying british pretensiousness is something good). Go watch Pink Floyd's THE WALL to see british schooling, or at least how it was till the 80s. My own kids go to a school where there's no uniform. There's no hairstyle code either. They love it.

rpeaslea_1 avatar
Pat Bond
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Where are you getting this misinformation on the Prussians inventing school uniforms and the British copying them? It is believed that the Christ Hospital School in London in 1552 was the first school to use a school uniform. The earliest documented proof of institutionalised use of a standard academic dress dates back to 1222 when the then Archbishop of Canterbury ordered the wearing of the cappa clausa.' Also I hate to break it you Pink Floyd are very much the result of very good British schooling, they may not have liked it, but they did extremely well as a result of it preparing them for life. The irony is they all sent their children to very good private schools.

Load More Replies...
uwprof avatar
just another drone
Community Member
2 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Nobody should wear a crop top to school, boy or girl.

iankelly avatar
mamalama82 avatar
mamalama27
Community Member
2 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Maybe both the boys and girls should be focused on the actual learning instead of how much attention they can call to their belly buttons. What's wrong with everyone being required to wear an actual shirt to school? This is becoming ridiculous and those kids (and parents who let them) should be ashamed to dress like that to begin with.

iankelly avatar
Ian Kelly
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The issue was not that the shirt was not allowed, but that the shirt was not allowed only for girls, and this keeps repeating. To summarize the clothing was not an issue, the targeting of “female” clothing was

Load More Replies...
aaron-j-dettmer avatar
kathrynhatfield avatar
KatHat
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No one's dying on any hills, they're protesting inconsistency and injustice. Why do you think that's a bad thing?

Load More Replies...
strayeivor avatar
Damon
Community Member
2 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Just imagine the poor underpaid teachers trying to do their jobs while this disrupted every lesson

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