Comment by Prazzie on April 27, 2010 at 11:31pm

I assume you're in the US and in most schools there, kids can wear anything? We had extremely strict rules at all 6 non-US schools I went to - uniforms just so, hair a certain way, no nail polish, only one type of earrings (gold or silver studs, girls only), black or brown shoes only, hems of dresses had to be a particular length...the list goes on.

I think there are extremely good reasons for wearing school uniforms and this type of problem is one of them. If it's an issue at your school, respect that and only wear the bracelet when you're not at school.

Comment by Kris Feenstra on April 27, 2010 at 11:35pm

I don't personally have any issue with 'I love boobies', but if we're talking high school or younger, I wouldn't personally fight the issue. Given our prudish cultures, I think it's understandable why the slogan would be considered indecent and a little crass. Now I'm all for a little indecent and crass, but I think that schools have the right to demand a certain, basic level of decorum.

That aside, did you try the bird argument? I mean, who doesn't love a blue-footed boobie after they've seen them dance?

http://theadventuretravelcompany.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/blue-f...

Comment by Gaytor on April 28, 2010 at 2:18am

I'm 36, so going back 20 years when the Simpsons came out, there was a t-shirt that schools hated.

The school actually called my Mom about the shirt and I was 16. Sadly for them, my Mom had bought it for me, but I wasn't allowed to wear it again. Your shirt is really fine, but sadly, in US schools, schools don't have to tolerate speech that is distracting. Your free speech rights are very limited there and fighting too much isn't going to get you far unless you convince the Dean. But it's fun telling the man how it is when you can. I like your attitude! But your forehead might bleed a bit from bashing it against a wall here.

Comment by Christopher McGuire on April 28, 2010 at 4:29am

Sir, whether we're against it or not, doesn't really matter. You're won't make any headway against it with (or without) our backing...So this is basically a moot point.
But, more on topic; I'm against it in a school setting, as it may cause disturbance and interrupt the learning process (call me uncool, but if it weren't for school, Religion would have a 99% backing, and that would suck). Having said that, I back freedom of expression, just only where it's appropriate. You seem to forget, school isn't the mall. You're not there to make friends or political statements, you're there to learn. Honestly, you should be glad you're not made to wear uniforms. Take what freedoms they give you, and cherish them. Your argument is actually quite immature. Ten years from now, you'll understand my point.
You can write me off as uncool, say that I don't get it, or I don't remember what it was like, I really don't give a shit. But you know what? I am intelligent, and I didn't get this way by accident.

Comment by Misty: Baytheist Living! on April 28, 2010 at 6:57am

I'm against schools censoring any permanent or semi permanent effects. (Hair color, piercings, tattoos) but if it is something you can take off during school hours and wear after school hours? Well...hmmm.
I'm rather torn.
I'll continue watching this discussion and think more about it!

Comment by Shine on April 28, 2010 at 3:05pm

I'll be the stick-in-the-mud and say no, it is not appropriate in high school. Adolescence is enough of a hormonal, sexually-charged time that I think overt sexual references are distracting in an academic environment. I'm not promoting an abstinence-only environment; obviously, trying to completely repress sexuality in adolescents just backfires. Still, just because sexuality should not repressed in adolescents does not mean that sexuality should be encouraged during school hours.

Plus, and I may be treading on delicate ground here, but I would especially discourage this bracelet because of its potential effect on female classmates. Young women experience a wide range of conflicting emotions regarding their bodies at this age. On one hand, some girls with smaller chests may feel inadequate while others with larger chests are consistently embarassed and self-conscious by the attention that their new "assets" attract. Either way, breasts are an incredibly personal and uncomfortable topic for many--if not most--teen girls, and I do not think that this bracelet is appropriate in a school environment where students are unable to choose their surroundings.

That said, I'm not a total prude and I say it's totally fine as long as you are not at school. Outside of school, any girl that is offended by the bracelet can simply walk away from you. However, in school I do no think that it is fair to require girls to be around items which promote sexuality and objectify breasts. An academic environment should be one in which intellectual strength is valued, and not physical assets.

If this is college, then ignore everything I said. College is voluntary and part of the adult world which cannot be censored for fear of offending people. Part of being an adult is learning to function despite the presence of offending things. Personally, I can't even see why any adult would be offended by it; my only concern was for teenage girls.

Comment by B. on April 28, 2010 at 6:14pm

I vote yes -- so we can spot morons even before they open their mouths.

Comment by B. on April 28, 2010 at 6:19pm

ok so I just quickly looked this up, and the I <3 boobies bracelets are for BREAST CANCER AWARENESS.

I think if that silly slogan got you & your friends to fork up a few bucks in the name of science, that's awesome.

So... well, I already voted yes and will be staying on that side.

Argue the "it's for breast cancer!!" position instead of, "omg I can publicly lyke boobies if i want u mean teachurs" -- it will get you further.

Comment by Jordan Leigh on April 28, 2010 at 6:54pm

Constitutionally, both you and the school administration have points, and the line between "Constitutionally protected free speech" and "It's not allowed at school" is simply whether the statement on your wristband causes a significant disruption among the students, enough to disrupt the learning process. If I got that wrong, feel free to correct me, just going off of my government notes from this year... the specific case outlining this was Tinker v. Des Moines.

So, if the wristbands cause a disturbance in school, you don't have a leg to stand on. If it causes no disturbance...you're still fighting an uphill battle. Sorry, but students in the public school system have fewer freedom of speech rights than those out of school, simply to keep all involved focused on learning.

I do agree that the "I love boobies", like the "Save the Ta-Tas", campaign is a worthwhile cause, but we live in America, and any mention of breasts is automatically under greater scrutiny than most other subjects, even if it is for a good cause. I think you should bring up that it is for breast cancer awareness to the dean, and if he still will not budge, then you should drop it. It isn't worth getting in trouble over. And if it's taken away, how will you get the word out to the people outside school in a creative and funny manner?

Comment by Shine on April 28, 2010 at 8:17pm

I did not realize that the bracelets were for breast cancer awareness. I'm still not sure that I think they are appropriate in high school. I know that other countries are much more liberal and nonchalant about female breasts, but there is an undeniable stigma attached to breasts in America. Remember Nipplegate at the Super Bowl a few years ago? That almost got as much TV coverage as a terrorist attack. Of course, in most of Europe you can turn on the TV and see bare breasts during prime time; it's not a big deal there. However, because it is a big deal here, the word "boobies" does have a lot of baggage and can cause a disturbance.

If the goal is to promote breast cancer awareness, I'm sure that there are other ways to do it. Plus, there are much more pressing sexual health issues which teenage girls need to worry about; breast cancer is pretty low on the list until adulthood.

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