Body Shaming at Dance

An uproar has erupted in Highland, Utah over clothing deemed to be too risque to be worn in public.

Shockingly, the controversy began last Saturday (January 24, 2015) at Lone Peak High School, where 15-year-old student Gabi Finlayson attended a school dance. The teenager decided to wear a pink dress inspired by film and fashion icon, Audrey Hepburn, which featured a high neck and full maxi dress (see image here). Overall, the gown was a very conservative outfit.

According to Finlayson, she was approached by a school official who told her that her dress violated school rules and that she would have to cover up her exposed shoulders with a coat or shawl. The teenager felt “embarrassed” and “insulted”, but complied with the school order and put on a coat to cover the exposed skin.

Reflecting on the body shaming incident, Gabi said, ‘Somehow my shoulders are sexualized. Like it’s my responsibility to make sure the boys’ thoughts are not unclean.’

School Principal Rhonda Bromley says that students are aware of the school dress code rules banning low cut clothing and clothing that leaves backs exposed or that is deemed too short. She says that three other students were asked to adhere to the rules at the dance.

Thankfully, Finlayson’s mother, Kristy Maxfield Kimball has been supportive of her daughter and is expressing incredulity and anger that the school is has taken such a harsh stance on exposed skin.

Kimball posted a picture of her daughter dressed for the dance on her Facebook profile, along with a status expressing her dismay that the school had deemed a woman’s shoulders to be sexual objects and her belief that religious ideals should have no bearing on a school dress code. She insinuated that the school board may have been influenced by the local Mormon population.

When the media picked up the story, Finlayson and Kimball were frustrated to find that some reporters were focusing on whether or not other girls were allowed into the dance with more revealing clothing, rather than upon the real issue – the sexualization of a young woman’s body.

Does anyone else see how ridiculous this conversation is? When was the last time we had a conversation about what a boy was wearing and if he was causing girls to think unclean thoughts?! When was the last time we went to a boys’ wrestling match or basketball game and discussed the appropriateness of bare shoulders or the length of their shorts? When was the last time you stopped a boy at the entrance of a dance and said his pants were too tight or his pecks were showing through his shirt and he needed to put on something over his shirt before he would be allowed in.

THIS IS RIDICULOUS!!! WE ARE HAVING THE WRONG CONVERSATION! LEAVE THESE GIRLS ALONE AND STOP JUDGING AND SHAMING THEM FOR A PROBLEM THAT IS NOT THEIRS. PERIOD. END OF STORY. – Excerpt from the Facebook status of Kristy Maxfield Kimball

Just when you think the world is as screwed up as it possibly can be, you see a glimmer of hope in people like 15-year-old Gabi Finlayson.

NOTE: The editorial staff of OntarioKink.com have decided not to include a picture of Gabi in our coverage of her story. Quite frankly, we’re proud of the way mature views she has expressed, but we would rather not post a minor’s picture on a site that does contain adult content. You can view a picture of her in her dress either on her mother’s Facebook page here, or by Googling her name.