Counselors at a Mississippi middle school are coming under fire for doing something utterly bizarre. In an effort to help tweenagers and teenagers with supposed issues with body image, the counselors sent home a letter to families about how those issues disproportionately impact girls.
But the letter didn't stop there. It actually offered the girls free shapewear.
Ashley Heun of Southaven, Mississippi, is a parent of a 13-year-old girl at the school. She shared the letter that came home from Southaven Middle. It was titled, “Why Do Girls Suffer from Body Image?"
Uh … perhaps because of societal messages just like this?
The mom was absolutely outraged by the letter. “So this is what my 8th grade daughter brought home from school today,” she wrote on Facebook. “I am beyond pissed, though I’m not sure if I’m more pissed at the fact that they had the ‘balls’ to send this home or the VERY IGNORANCE of the ‘counselors’ at the school.”
Her lengthy Facebook rant continued, "So you begin this masterpiece detailing how damaging a negative body image is for girls, how the stress of conforming to an impossible perceived image can adversely affect their mental health, and then OFFER TO GIVE THEM SPANX SO THEY CAN BETTER FIT THE PERCEIVED IMAGE?!? What. The. Very. F@$&."
It's not hard to understand that angry mom's point. "How, in the hell, are you promoting a positive body image by saying ‘here, you’re too fat. You need shapewear to make you look thinner.’ Are you freaking kidding me?” she articulated.
Parents at the school definitely have a right to be appalled. Trying to give shapewear to young girls who may or may not be struggling with body image does little to help them work through those struggles. It is quite clearly telling them, at the most vulnerable age ever, that their bodies aren't good enough the way they are. The fact is, impressionable young girls need messages about how amazing, strong, and unique their bodies are — not the exact opposite.
The school district responded to the outrage in a written statement to CNN. “The district has been made aware of the parental permission form sent to parents by Southaven Middle School,” Lauren Margeson, DeSoto County School’s executive administrative assistant to the superintendent, wrote. “District officials understand how this type of information causes serious concern from parents.”
While the school definitely made a huge error in judgment here, families seem set on letting staff know just how wrong the counselors were. Ashley posted a follow-up message, letting everyone know that the shapewear program had been canceled after her post went viral.
It goes to show that outspoken parents are doing the important work of letting their young girls know that it's not OK for anyone to make you feel like you need to change your body. Those conversations should be happening in schools, too. But oftentimes, parents have to work harder than they should to ensure their girls don't get the wrong messages from society about their bodies. Clearly, as this incident proved, those messages start far too young.
