Piece(s) of Cake

thedailywhat:

Dress Code Violation of the Day: Brigham Young University student Brittany Molina thought she was getting a love note when a fellow student handed her a folded piece of paper while she was standing around the school’s Provo campus on Valentine’s Day.

But when she opened it up, she discovered not an admission of attraction, but instead a strongly worded criticism of her attire.

“You may want to consider that what you’re wearing has a negative effect on men (and women) around you,” read the letter. “Many people come to this university because they feel safe, morally as well as physically, here. They expect others to abide by the Honor Code that we all agreed on. Please consider your commitment to the Honor Code (which you agreed to) when dressing each day. Thank you.”

Molina posted the piece of paper on Twitter along with a photo of what she was wearing when she received it. ”Gosh dang it,” she tweeted, “I’ll remember to dress in jeans, a sweatshirt and tennis shoes tomorrow. That way I don’t make people feel uncomfortable.”

According to Molina, the young man who handed her the note “was gone within 5 seconds.” BYU has not commented on this incident.

[sltrib.]

Almost the EXACT SAME THING happened to me when I was an undergrad at Baylor. A male student, with whom I had sat next to for the better part of a semester and who had been in the same Honors program as me for the previous 3 years, felt compelled to write me a note one day. I, too, thought it might be a complimentary note or an admission of a crush (silly me!) only to open it and find a note that degraded what I was wearing, accused me of not being a Godly woman, and telling me that I was degrading myself and the young women around me by what I was wearing.

Keep in mind that Baylor is in Texas. In the spring, summer and fall (and let’s face it, winter) temperatures can reach into the 100s, and humidity is often above 80%. It’s hot. It’s sticky. You sweat. However, I was not wearing a swimsuit, miniskirt, or low cut top to class. More than likely I was in my typical college-student uniform of a t-shirt (probably with my sorority letters on it), jeans and flip flops. If it was particularly hot that day, I may have been wearing shorts or a sleeveless t-shirt. The point is, I don’t remember, because I had not gotten dressed that day with the intention of seducing or tempting my male classmates. I had worn what I would be comfortable sitting in for 2 hours of lecture.

Receiving that note really upset me and forced me to take a look not only at myself and my own moral compass, but also at the boy who called himself a Christian and felt compelled to judge me. Luckily, I had an amazing group of friends who supported me and who would have told me if I were dressing inappropriately for class. Because of my friends and my strong sense of self, I continued to dress how I wanted and go to class, where that young man could make his own choice about if he could handle how I dressed.

I guess what shocked me the most about what happened to me is the fact that I was at a CHRISTIAN University, and as Christians we are called to love others and not to judge others, and I felt many times that it was a more judgmental environment than a lot of other institutions. At the end of the day, it’s not up to one kid in a history class, or anyone else to tell others what may or may not be morally “correct.” As far as I’m concerned, I only have to answer to One on that.