Dear South African Schools
What is wrong with my dress, how is it inappropriate?
You were wrong to speak to me the way you spoke to me. I believe that your statements unnecessarily sexualised my body, more particularly my breasts. There is nothing wrong with my breasts or my clevage as you suggested . Breasts are not sexual organs, breasts are meant for mothers to feed their children. There is nothing wrong with my breasts. I love my breasts, they are a part of my body. A body which I worship and treasure. For you to not see that is a shame because when you look at me you reduce me to a part of me you've decided to sexualise.
Your sexualisation of young girls is fueling rape culture and protecting perpertrators of GBV. My dress is not the reason I could face sexual assault. Your protection means nothing, no dress code can stop students from facing assault. You should instead be teaching boys how not to become perpetrators. You should teach girls how not to become perpertrators. And most importantly you should teach us all about our own bodily autonomy. We live in South Africa, a GBV capital, your ignorance is quite frankly embarrassing. You need to do better. Your dress codes promote hypersexualisation of prepubescent and teenage bodies while simultaneously protecting predators. You are the problem not me. Your rules just cause body dysmorphia, which is detrimental.
Do you understand how traumatising it is to be in trouble because of the clothes you wear? You have humiliated me and degraded me to something I am not. You've allowed your perverted mind to point out things that do not exist. I don't feel comfortable around any of you, you have made my school environment unsafe. I will only feel better if there are classes educating staff and students on GBV and prevention.