School Compares Makeup To A Harmful DRUG: Parent Anger After Mirrors In Girls’ Toilets Were Replaced With Posters Saying Cosmetics ‘Make Women Feel Ugly’
Angry parents have criticized a high school for replacing the mirrors in girls’ bathrooms with posters of makeup, a “harmful drug” that makes women feel “ugly.”
The “motivational” messages about inner beauty are plastered on the walls of the bathrooms of the Christopher Whitehead Language College in Worcester.
They warn girls that using cosmetics can make them feel ‘ugly’ and compare the use of make-up to drug addiction.
One reads, “If all girls didn’t start wearing makeup and comfortable clothes, guys would have no choice but to like girls for their natural beauty.” While another says: ‘Dear girls, Make-up is a harmful drug. Once you start using it, you feel ugly without it.” Another states: ‘Beauty is nothing without a brain’.
One angry parent said, “Is the school really telling girls that putting on lipstick is as bad as injecting heroin or using crack cocaine?” Yes, girls need to learn about inner beauty, but this approach is plain wrong.’
A photo shared online shows that mirrors in a bathroom at Christopher Whitehead Language College have been replaced with “motivational” posters
Male students at the school of 1,500 have also complained after the mirrors and an exterior door were removed from the boys’ toilets.
The school clearly wants to use positive language about beauty and intelligence, but parents say the posters are “patronising and demeaning” and have demanded that they be removed immediately.
A father with a child at the school, who declined to be named, said: ‘The school has removed all the mirrors from the toilets (including the boys), but in the girls’ toilets they have covered the wall instead of the mirrors. the mirror with ‘inspirational quotes’, but they are far from that.
“The quotes are humiliating. This is not the message we want to send to extremely impressionable girls as young as 11.
“In the boys’ toilets, they’ve closed off some urinals so that only two are available, and the toilet’s door has been completely removed so that everyone can see inside.”
Another parent of a student at the school said: ‘It was poorly thought out and executed.
“They should promote individuality.”
Another parent said: ‘These messages are not motivating the girls, but are condescending and accusing girls who do want to wear makeup.
“Parents have not been consulted about this change. Surely it is our job to teach our children these values instead of getting this propaganda literally in their faces every time they go to the toilet.
“Why are these posters only in the girls’ toilets and not also in the boys’ toilets?”
The school wants to have positive messages for students that promote inner beauty and intelligence
One person commenting on Facebook said the posters “shame girls,” not praise them.
They said, “How can you tell girls that they’re going to feel ugly if not be negative when they see their mothers, sisters, and grandmothers wearing makeup?”
Other commenters pointed out that many people – women and men – wear makeup to boost their confidence.
Another wrote: “It is a disgusting comparison that breeds sexism and misogyny. Yes, girls need to learn about inner beauty, but this approach is plain wrong.’
But a few people said they approved of the posters, with one adding, “Corporate brainwashing of girls’ body shape begins much younger than Year 7, and anything that diminishes that should be applauded.”
The school, an academy that teaches children aged 11-19, was rated ‘good’ by Ofsted at the last inspection in 2018.
Last month, Headteacher Neil Morris spoke about budget cuts and revealed that the school is employing three counselors to help students and staff deal with their mental health.
He also said British schools were ‘broken’ and hungry pupils resorted to stealing food and coming to class without shoes or coats.