UK school blasted for replacing girls' bathroom mirrors with 'provocative' posters: 'Very medieval'
Christopher Whitehead Language College had mirrors replaced with quotes like, 'Beauty is nothing without brains'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A school in Worcester, England, has come under fire for replacing mirrors in the girls' bathroom with "motivational" posters featuring messages about beauty.
The head teacher of Christopher Whitehead Language College had mirrors replaced with quotes like, "Beauty is nothing without brains" and "Dear girls, Makeup is a harmful drug. Once you start using it, you’ll feel ugly without it."
"If all girls started wearing no makeup and comfortable clothes, guys would have no choice but to fall for girls because of natural beauty," another poster read.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The posters peeved parents who argued the signs were sending the wrong message.
"Far from motivating the girls, these messages are patronizing and victim-blaming girls who do want to wear makeup," one parent told The Daily Mail.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Christopher Whitehead Language College had bathroom mirrors replaced with quotes like, "Beauty is nothing without brains" and "Dear girls, Makeup is a harmful drug. Once you start using it, you’ll feel ugly without it." (FNC)
"Saying that makeup is a harmful drug, and that it's addictive, saying that boys won't start to like you unless you take makeup off, you'll feel ugly if you don't wear it - I think how they've gone about it is not right and they should have let parents know what they were doing," another parent told BBC Hereford and Worcester.
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"I think what needs to change is misogyny, is the male gaze, is the objectification of women," journalist Ateh Jewel argued on Britain's "This Morning" in response to the school controversy. "Makeup is not the problem. Makeup is about expressing yourself, being joyful… Those slogans are very medieval about attracting a mate. Makeup and beauty and wellness is about the inside out."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A view of a gender-neutral bathrooms at Miraloma Elementary School in San Francisco, Sept. 2, 2015. (Liz Hafalia/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
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The school's head teacher, Neil Morris, said the posters had initially been hung up to address "a period of misuse," but admitted that the signs would have been more properly placed in the classrooms.
"Mirrors have been removed temporarily after a period of misuse where the toilets became a congregational social area with older students blocking the path to toilets, whilst they socialised, often late to lessons," he told Birmingham Live. "All students have been written to. The English department has used this as an opportunity to provide some argumentative discursive letter writing. They put some provocative posters up in the one toilet area in their corridor before the lesson."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"This has produced some ‘frenzied’ powerful writing and debate," he added. "With hindsight, the posters should have been placed in their classroom area, not in one toilet."
Parents were upset after a school in Worcester, England, replaced mirrors in the girls' bathroom with "motivational" posters. (iStock)
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Morris said a "very productive" meeting had been held with students and two parents following the controversy and that the student council is "being challenged to come up with an action plan."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Morris sent Fox News Digital the following statement after publication, saying the mirrors were removed "temporarily."
"The stories that have been circulating are contextually incorrect," Morris said. "The school is a large site with seven buildings and nine student toilet areas. We have no external door on eight of the toilet areas, allowing staff to see the sinks, not the cubicles. We have removed the ninth external door of the boys’ toilet area. Mirrors have been removed temporarily after a period of misuse where the toilets became a congregational social area with older students blocking the path to toilets, whilst they socialised, often late to lessons. All students have been written to.
"One of the English department staff has used this as an opportunity to provide some argumentative discursive letter writing. They put some provocative posters up in the one toilet area in their corridor before the lesson. This has produced some ‘frenzied’, powerful writing and debate. With hindsight, the posters should have been placed in their classroom area, not in one toilet.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Positively, on Wednesday a very productive meeting saw 26 students and two parents discuss our concerns and the way forward and the Student Council is being challenged to come up with an action plan.
Furthermore, student behaviour has noticeably improved this week."