A high school senior didn’t wear a bra to school and was punished for it. The school said her shirt was see-through. She says it wasn’t. So, have a look at the shirt and decide for yourself who’s right.
Kaitlyn Juvik is undeniably a beautiful girl. But, the Montana teen with the eye-catching smile and big brown eyes gained much more attention than she ever anticipated when she attended class braless. While in her senior year at Helena High School, Kaitlyn was thrust into the spotlight when she decided to forgo her bra.
To her shock and dismay, her attire — or, in this case, lack thereof — didn’t go unnoticed. Kaitlyn was allegedly asked by school administrators to change her clothes because someone complained that the way she was dressed was making them uncomfortable. Because of the complaint, Kaitlyn was given a dress code violation, but anyone who thought that the fashion faux pas issue would end there was greatly mistaken.
Instead, the issue created quite the headache for school administrators. Although the principal said the violation had nothing to do with Kaitlyn’s undergarments, Kaitlyn said otherwise, admitting she wasn’t wearing a bra. “I’m not going to check student’s undergarments,” Principal Steve Thennis insisted, reiterating that the issue wasn’t Kaitlyn’s lack of bra but not elaborating on the exact nature of the violation.
“We are going to ask them to dress appropriately and if we feel it is inappropriate, male or female, we are going to ask them to cover up,” Thennis added. Since he said Kaitlyn didn’t receive the violation because she didn’t have on a bra but rather because she needed to cover up, he must be suggesting that her shirt, seen in the image below, was in some way too revealing.
According to Kaitlyn, “What I was confronted about was wrong,” KRTV reported. “As long as nothing is showing and you’re covered up, girls should not have to wear a bra,” she furthered. Then, in a Facebook post, accompanying the picture above, she wrote, “If anyone is curious, THIS is the shirt I was wearing when I was called out!!!” before elaborating.
In the photo caption, an enraged Kaitlyn explained that the top is “not see through” and “not inappropriate!” Kaitlyn continued, “You definitely cannot tell I’m not wearing a bra unless you’re looking VERY hard! I was most definitely not wearing anything that was against the dress code!” However, it’s not very hard to look at her exposed shoulder and see that there is no bra strap.
Kaitlyn’s not the only one who grew outraged over the incident. Fellow students stepped up to defend her right not to wear a bra at school. Students protesting the incident even created a “No Bra, No Problem” Facebook page to voice their disdain over the allegedly sexist incident. “The movement for gender equality, women’s rights, & being comfortable. Against discrimination in schools, we focus on the right for girls to go braless,” the page description read.
“The fact that I was told it makes people uncomfortable offended me because it’s my body,” Juvik said. “It is my natural body and I’m not sure why that is uncomfortable to somebody.” And, apparently, bra or no bra, Kaitlyn has a lot of support — no pun intended. As male students planned to show their support and solidarity with the braless movement by ironically wearing bras outside of their clothing, Kaitlyn’s mother explained that the protest was about more than bras. According to her, it’s about sexual objectification and body shaming.
“I stand behind my daughter 100%! I am very proud of the point she is trying to make and the movement that she and her friends have created,” Kaitlyn Juvik’s mom Tami wrote in a post on KXLH‘s Facebook page after the story aired. “This movement is not just about wearing/not wearing a bra. Our daughters are body shamed and sexualized on a daily basis,” she added.
“We need to teach them to be comfortable in their own skin and not feel like they have to hide under their clothes. The schools have bigger fish to fry than worrying about whether or not my daughter is wearing a bra!” she exclaimed. “Ask your daughters if they wear a bra on a regular basis, I think you will be surprised by the answer!”
However, not everyone is seeing eye to eye. “If there are rules about such things at school, they should be followed, just like one does on the job. There are many other opportunities to go braless,” one social media user wrote. When you push the boundaries, you risk being called on it and facing consequences. It’s no different than if you choose to speed and get stopped by a cop.
A female’s body is her body, but she should treat it with respect if she wants to receive respect. Why would you not wear a bra to school? Most high schoolers are minors, and there is a good reason that we don’t let kids make the rules. You don’t have to agree with the rules in any situation, but you do have to follow them or face the consequences.
