A principal at a school recently told high school girls that if they aren’t a size 0 or 2, they “look fat” in leggings. Yes, this really happened. The principal of Stratford High School in South Carolina was even caught on tape saying this, and has since held a school assembly to say she didn’t mean any offense.
WCBD-TV reported Principal Heather Taylor’s comments, which were said during a meeting about appropriate attire for students under the school’s dress code:
“(Leggings are) meant to wear underneath a long shirt that covers your heiny, or a long sweater of some type, or a dress. It is not meant to be your actual pants, and if you have a shirt that comes to here, then you are showing everything. Yes, everything. The sad thing is with that, ladies — if someone has not told you this before, I’m going to tell you this now — unless you are a size zero or a two, and you wear something like that, even though you are not fat, you look fat.”
Clearly, this is not OK–it’s body shaming language. Because of that, unsurprisingly, the school’s Facebook page is loaded with comments calling her out. Principal Taylor released a statement since:
“Yesterday and this morning, I met with each class of the Stratford High School student body. I addressed a comment made during a 10th grade assembly and shared from my heart that my intention was not to hurt or offend any of my students in any way. I assured them all that I am one of their biggest fans and invested in their success. After speaking with our students and receiving their support, I am confident that, together, we are ready to move forward and have a wonderful year. Stratford High is a very caring community, and I want to thank all of our parents and students who have offered their support to me and provided me with an opportunity to directly address their concern. I am very proud to be a Stratford Knight.”
This isn’t exactly an apology.
Looks like she need to learn more about how to not body shame in the course of her work with kids–especially considering eating disorders often start in middle and high school. Since about 30 million people suffer from an eating disorder in the U.S., we all need to be better about educating ourselves on eating disorders, what the signs are, and how to help people afflicted by these illnesses.
