Shapewear offered to middle schoolers as part of ‘body image’ program in Mississippi
A school program aimed at promoting positive body image among teen girls has come under fire after students at a north Mississippi middle school were offered shapewear, among other items.
Officials at Southaven Middle School have decided to end the program after growing outcry from concerned parents, a spokesperson for DeSoto County Schools confirmed to McClatchy News.
Among them was parent Ashley Heun, whose 13-year-old daughter brought home a letter from school on Tuesday, Jan. 11, discussing the negative impacts and pressures girls face trying to achieve the “ideal” body shape, WMC-TV reported. The letter, titled “Why do Girls Suffer from Body Image?” included a parent permission form for students to receive “healthy literature, shapewear, bras and other products” from school counselors.
Heun said she couldn’t believe what she was reading.
“I had to read it a few more times, to make sure I was actually reading what I was actually reading,” she told the Commercial Appeal. “I mean, I was shocked, I was absolutely shocked. And honestly, I was angry.”
Once she calmed down, Heun said she emailed school principal John Sartain to voice her concerns, according to the newspaper. Sartain called her the next day and explained that bras, shapewear and other undergarments had been donated to the school.
Administrators implemented the program to donate the items to students who needed them, he said, the Commercial Appeal reported.
Shapewear is an undergarment commonly worn by adult women to create a more seamless look under their clothing. They’re typically sold by clothing brands including SPANX and SKIMS, launched by reality star and entrepreneur Kim Kardashian.
Heun posted a photo of the school’s letter on social media, where it sparked similar reactions from users who decried offering teen girls shapewear as “distasteful” and “wayyy creepy.”
Outcry from Heun and others ultimately prompted the school to get rid of the program.
“The district has been made aware of the parental permission form sent to parents by Southaven Middle School,” Lauren Margeson, assistant to the DeSoto County Schools superintendent, said in a statement. “District officials understand how this type of information causes serious concern from parents.
“The principal at Southaven Middle School met with the parent yesterday, and the school has discontinued the implementation of the program,” Margeson added.
Southaven, Mississippi, is about 13 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee.
This story was originally published January 13, 2022 at 2:55 PM with the headline "Shapewear offered to middle schoolers as part of ‘body image’ program in Mississippi."