Florida high school edits ‘immodest’ yearbook photos
The digital alterations were made without permission according to the students.
Florida high school edits ‘immodest’ yearbook photos photo credit: BBC
A Florida high school is facing backlash for altering the yearbook photos of 80 female students to add clothing to their chests and shoulders.
Modest
The school district told local media that the changes were made to ensure the photos met the dress code, which says girls’ shirts must be “modest” and cover their chests and shoulders.
However as critics pointed out, yearbook photos of male students were left unedited despite violating the same standards. The digital alterations were made without permission according to the students.
The school district claimed the yearbook coordinator (a female teacher) made the decision to edit the photos but some students have called the alterations distressing and accused the school of sexism.
“The double standard in the yearbook is more so that they looked at our body and thought just a little bit of skin showing was sexual,” Bartram Trail student Riley O’Keefe, 15, told CBS affiliate WJAX News. “But then they looked at the boys, for the swim team photos and other sports photos and thought that was fine, and that’s really upsetting and uncomfortable.”
In a statement to WJAX, the district said the school’s previous policy was to remove all photos that violated the dress code, and this year’s edits were to make sure all students were included.
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