SO SO Modesty: TSA agent shames 15yo

[Kathryn]

 

 

I think that can be fairly inferred from his comment that she was "only 15."

 

I disagree. I infer from his comment that he felt she was dressed inappropriately.

 

Indecent does not equal sexy.

[Guest]

I was born and raised in Southern California. That outfit is actually pretty modest. I'm surprised the agent even noticed it.

 

On the other hand, I can agree with people who say women know when they are wearing something that attracts men. If I were wearing that, I would know my husband and other men would be looking. Either way, she did not deserve that treatment. Men should be able to control themselves.

[nmoira]

I disagree. I infer from his comment that he felt she was dressed inappropriately.

 

Indecent does not equal sexy.

 

How is it "indecent" in other than a sexual context? What then would be the difference if she were 20 or 30? "You're pushing 40 for goodness sake! Cover yourself up." :tongue_smilie:

[8circles]

This whole issue isn't even about sexiness or arousal anyway. It's purely about power and control.

[nmoira]

This whole issue isn't even about sexiness or arousal anyway. It's purely about power and control.

 

Exactly.

[SKL]

How is it "indecent" in other than a sexual context? What then would be the difference if she were 20 or 30? "You're pushing 40 for goodness sake! Cover yourself up." :tongue_smilie:

You can't think of examples of people being indecent but not sexy? Think of someone at the beach showing way too much of something NObody wants to see. And for many if not most people, seeing a young girl dressed in an overly suggestive style is not sexy at all, it's just sad. I mean, to me, sexy means sexually alluring. Most decent men do not find trampy or careless teen outfits alluring.

[Mrs Mungo]

I will admit that I was once at a gas station with my kids and I guy with super-low riders was pumping gas directly in front of us. He pulled up the front of his shirt to wipe his face and you could totally see his junk through his tightie whities. I have some sort of "are you kidding me?!" hand motion and he quickly put his shirt back down.

 

Probably the equivalent happened while living in the same town. I was at the dentist (without kids, thank goodness) one morning when a woman came in dressed in a purple lace body suit. Everyone was trying not to look at her. If I had been the dentist, then I would have had to cover her in those paper bibs.

 

But, the girl in the photo was dressed normally for a teen girl in my circles, which are mostly homeschoolers.

[nmoira]

 

You can't think of examples of people being indecent but not sexy? Think of someone at the beach showing way too much of something NObody wants to see. And for many if not most people, seeing a young girl dressed in an overly suggestive style is not sexy at all, it's just sad. I mean, to me, sexy means sexually alluring. Most decent men do not find trampy or careless teen outfits alluring.

 

I didn't say sexy, but rather sexual context. Different things.

[SKL]

I didn't say sexy, but rather sexual context. Different things.

But you were taking issue with the comment that "indecent does not equal sexy."

[WishboneDawn]

 

 

Perhaps there's a cultural issue here. In my area, girls selling cookies in their regular clothes is normal. They usually have those big, green bands on, write in official looking papers on clip boards, and are surrounded by other girls wearing green bands, and busy mothers. They're not mistaken for anything other than girl scouts selling cookies. Then again, in my area short shorts are no more risque than tank tops - it's just clothing.

 

I'm in Canada and was a Girl Guide leader. We don't have Girl Scouts although both groups belong to the same international group. Our rules would be completely different. I should have made that clearer. Sorry!

 

Girls here go out in uniform shirts, scarves and dark pants.

[nmoira]

But you were taking issue with the comment that "indecent does not equal sexy."

 

If you go back further, it started with "way too sexy," though I've addressed the sexuality aspect earlier in the thread. I should have clarified my use of terminology there. But my point still stands. :)

[WishboneDawn]

This whole issue isn't even about sexiness or arousal anyway. It's purely about power and control.

 

*sigh* Yeah. Even with all I've said I'm trying to imagine my judgemental self in that situation, saying that to some teenage girl and I can't do it. No matter what I might be thinking I still wouldn't choose to loose my cool and embarrass a girl in front of people lime that.

[busymama7]

I really should just stay out of this discussion but I wanted to comment on no one expecting anything of boys.

 

I have five boys and I most certainly do. My oldest is 16 and a long distance runner. I do not allow him to wear his short shorts for running at any time except while running including back and forth to practice. I also have my boys wear swim shirts while swimming although sometimes they don't. I do require them to put a shirt on immediatly upon exiting pool.

 

We have standards of modesty that include covered shoulders and having sleeves and to the knee coverage. No tummy showing or underwear etc and they go for BOTH boys and girls here. We are not ashamed of our bodies or teach that they are dirty or anything like that. We just keep them covered. Full stop.

 

Not defending tsa agent at all. Just responding to the claim that this is all against women. Not in my world. It is the same for both and starts early so it is just part of life and a habit and not tied to sexuality at all.

[kroe1]

I guess I am going to fall into the minority here. I would be thankful someone told my DD to cover up if she was parading in a form fitting outfit like that. It leaves nothing to the imagination. I suspect the man did her a favor in the long run. Too bad he might be reprimanded. I just can't imagine wearing form fitting, cleavage revealing, belly button showing clothing and being upset when someone looked and commented. To me, it is irrelevant what current styles and trends are. My DD's protection against gawking eyed strangers should trump current styles. Kudos to the person who, hopefully, shamed the girl into thinking about her clothing choices for now on.

[FaithManor]

And again, it.does.not.matter.what.your.personal.definition.is.of.appropriate. The TSA is not endowed with the right to be the fashion police or the disciplinarian of every child and teen that boards a plane. If he can't keep his mind on his job, he needs to get out of the job.

 

I am absolutely flabbergasted that the bigger issue is not the focal point of the discussion. For all the modesty police know, this same guy would tell your daughter to "cover up" when she's wearing a baggy short sleeve, high neck shirt and a skirt below your knees - who knows what his definition of "cover up" is. Or he might tell her she looks frumpy or uns*xy! I mean ANY comment he makes about her appearance is just an abuse of power, period. Same as if he told some boy to cover up because the young man was wearing a short shirt and low rider pants. IT'S NOT HIS JOB and he's in uniform and does have power over who does and does not get on that plane so the teen would have reason to feel intimidated. Who cares what she was wearing! REALLY??? I don't want this guy at the screening station when I have to deliver my minor child to the airport to fly, period.

 

Faith

[Kathryn]

I guess I am going to fall into the minority here. I would be thankful someone told my DD to cover up if she was parading in a form fitting outfit like that. It leaves nothing to the imagination. I suspect the man did her a favor in the long run. Too bad he might be reprimanded. I just can't imagine wearing form fitting, cleavage revealing, belly button showing clothing and being upset when someone looked and commented. To me, it is irrelevant what current styles and trends are. My DD's protection against gawking eyed strangers should trump current styles. Kudos to the person who, hopefully, shamed the girl into thinking about her clothing choices for now on.

 

Somehow I doubt that she was shamed into thinking about her clothing choices. And with the reactions of her parents and their friends, I don't think that will change. I expect she, like her father's friend, thought the guy was just rude, "creepy," and "Talibany."

[Firefly]

I really should just stay out of this discussion but I wanted to comment on no one expecting anything of boys.

 

I have five boys and I most certainly do. My oldest is 16 and a long distance runner. I do not allow him to wear his short shorts for running at any time except while running including back and forth to practice. I also have my boys wear swim shirts while swimming although sometimes they don't. I do require them to put a shirt on immediatly upon exiting pool.

 

We have standards of modesty that include covered shoulders and having sleeves and to the knee coverage. No tummy showing or underwear etc and they go for BOTH boys and girls here. We are not ashamed of our body's or teach that they are dirty or anything like that. We just keep them covered. Full stop.

 

Not defending tsa agent at all. Just responding to the claim that this is all against women. Not in my world. It is the same for both and starts early so it is just part of life and a habit and not tied to sexuality at all.

 

The claim still stands. You can pick out a handful of people who say they have the same standards for their boys, but the overwhelming majority of these threads and posts are centered on women and girls.

[DawnM]

I haven't read through al the responses, but one thought did cross my mind......she may not have been wearing that plaid shirt at all when he said it to her and that white shirt is pretty thin.....who knows if what they are saying is actually what happened.

 

She could have changed for the picture, added the shirt, heck, she could have put on a bra after being told to cover up.

 

Or, he may not have said what he is alleged to have said.

 

Sorry, I am not buying that we are hearing the entire story. I will reserve judgement until I hear both sides.

[Caroline]

I agree with Faith. What she was wearing really doesn't matter. What the TSA agent said was out of line, period. It is not his job to tell anyone what to wear.

[nmoira]

The claim still stands. You can pick out a handful of people who say they have the same standards for their boys, but the overwhelming majority of these threads and posts are centered on women and girls.

 

And we're not talking about standards within families, but rather the assumption of many within the larger culture that they have the right to comment, to publicly judge or police; something directed almost exclusively at girls and women.

 

It's the lingering underlying idea that it is OK to do this girls. For. Their. Own. Good. Really?

[Kathryn]

I haven't read through al the responses, but one thought did cross my mind......she may not have been wearing that plaid shirt at all when he said it to her and that white shirt is pretty thin.....who knows if what they are saying is actually what happened.

 

She could have changed for the picture, added the shirt, heck, she could have put on a bra after being told to cover up.

 

Or, he may not have said what he is alleged to have said.

 

Sorry, I am not buying that we are hearing the entire story. I will reserve judgement until I hear both sides.

 

While I still think he shouldn't have said anything, this is my feeling as well. Since the TSA isn't going to engage in a he said-she said, it's her word against nothing as to what happened. And it really doesn't make sense that the man would have commented on leggings with a long flannel shirt that would have covered her bottom and a tank top underneath. This whole thing makes a lot more sense if she wasn't wearing the flannel and was bra-less with the thin white tank top.

[8circles]

I guess I am going to fall into the minority here. I would be thankful someone told my DD to cover up if she was parading in a form fitting outfit like that. It leaves nothing to the imagination. I suspect the man did her a favor in the long run. Too bad he might be reprimanded. I just can't imagine wearing form fitting, cleavage revealing, belly button showing clothing and being upset when someone looked and commented. To me, it is irrelevant what current styles and trends are. My DD's protection against gawking eyed strangers should trump current styles. Kudos to the person who, hopefully, shamed the girl into thinking about her clothing choices for now on.

 

1. Why can't she just "wear" her clothing? It has to be "parading"? By using these words you are assigning intentions to her clothing choices that we have no indication were there.

 

2. You & I must not have the same imagination.

 

3. The fact that you are indicating that you are concerned about her safety yet you comment on her clothing choices, which hurt no one, yet make no comment to people who would harm her speaks volumes about who you feel is ultimately responsible.

 

4. There is so much shame in the world - most of it heaped onto girls already - I can't imagine possibly wanting more. Shame is almost never a good thing. I can personally attest to the fact that the harm it does to a person is such a high price to pay for such an itty-bitty gain. I think that only people who haven't been subjected to such shame personally could possibly think it worth the price.

[Mrs Mungo]

I agree with Faith. What she was wearing really doesn't matter. What the TSA agent said was out of line, period. It is not his job to tell anyone what to wear.

 

Agreed.

 

I also agree with Kathryn that another side will not be forthcoming. It is the policy of most government agencies *not* to defend themselves publicly, even when the complainer is 100% wrong.

[elegantlion]

Some of the perspective may be contextual to where you live. In L.A. I can't imagine that outfit being scandalous at all or even inappropriate in the weather. My son mowed without a shirt the other day, it was hot. When we lived in LA (the state, not the L.A. the city) it was d*** hot, melting hot even with the air on sometimes. You might have heat stroke if you wore flannel. I often wore a tank and capri/shorts, and I'm in the "cover up, you're over 40" crowd. I don't ds wore a shirt except for when we went out for about 2 years.

 

I worked at the airport many moons ago. You could always tell who was a seasoned traveler, they were generally dressed in more comfortable attire.

 

But as Faith said, most of this conversation is irrelevant to what the TSA agent did. He chose to bring personal opinion to a job, that is wrong period. If I were his boss, he'd be reprimanded in some manner if not fired. If this had been another passenger commenting on her attire, this would/should be a different discussion.

[Caroline]

 

 

Agreed.

 

I also agree with Kathryn that another side will not be forthcoming. It is the policy of most government agencies *not* to defend themselves publicly, even when the complainer is 100% wrong.

 

That is true.

[JennifersLost]

He was out of line. She is young and has a beautiful body and at no time was nude. Everyone needs to mind their own business about other people's bodies, for crying out loud. She looks like every other teenager I've seen in this country for the past ten years. ANd if our ancestors could survive millenia of nudity without their societies imploding, I think we can survive a camisole.

 

As to what to wear to airports? I've worn the skimpiest things I can - plain t-shirt with no pockets and cloth skirt with no pockets - and have still been pulled out of line and patted down in front of all and sundry. You can't win.

 

Any middle aged man made any negative comment about what my daughter was wearing, I would sock him.

[FaithManor]

Agreed.

 

I also agree with Kathryn that another side will not be forthcoming. It is the policy of most government agencies *not* to defend themselves publicly, even when the complainer is 100% wrong.

 

Absolutely true. It would actually be very unusual if anything were said officially beyond something like, "We are looking into the matter."

 

Given the parameters of the job, I'd like it if TSA agents had to go through the same psychological testing as candidates for state police academy. While it doesn't ultimately rule out some one getting into a position of power that is going to have a serious problem and be unable to behave professionally, it does seem to cut down on it quite a bit.

 

I mean, how many threads do we ever have on power tripping state police officers, sheriff's deputies, or even city police? Thinking about youtube here too...there are far more videos about TSA agents then other security/safety officials. I think the screening for this job may be very, very poor.

 

Faith

[ChocolateReignRemix]

Somehow I doubt that she was shamed into thinking about her clothing choices. And with the reactions of her parents and their friends, I don't think that will change. I expect she, like her father's friend, thought the guy was just rude, "creepy," and "Talibany."

 

Yeah...because he was.

Not his kid. Not his business. Not his job.

[ChocolateReignRemix]

I guess I am going to fall into the minority here. I would be thankful someone told my DD to cover up if she was parading in a form fitting outfit like that. It leaves nothing to the imagination. I suspect the man did her a favor in the long run. Too bad he might be reprimanded. I just can't imagine wearing form fitting, cleavage revealing, belly button showing clothing and being upset when someone looked and commented. To me, it is irrelevant what current styles and trends are. My DD's protection against gawking eyed strangers should trump current styles. Kudos to the person who, hopefully, shamed the girl into thinking about her clothing choices for now on.

 

Hopefully she wasn't shamed as she has no reason to be. I am sure your daughter wouldn't wear the same outfit because you have given her a different standard. I am going to wager their are others out there who think your daughter should be "shamed" for dressing outside of their norms.

 

And leaves nothing to the imagination? You need to get out more.

[ChocolateReignRemix]

Agreed.

 

I also agree with Kathryn that another side will not be forthcoming. It is the policy of most government agencies *not* to defend themselves publicly, even when the complainer is 100% wrong.

 

TSA actually responds to complaints openly fairly frequently. They have a blog of some sort that responds to questions/issues like these when they arise. They generally do not get into employee discipline publically (which they can't) but a response of some kind is possible.

[elegantlion]

ANd if our ancestors could survive millenia of nudity without their societies imploding, I think we can survive a camisole

 

 

This should be on a shirt, possibly a camisole.

[Tammi K]

I've read the posts here and I read the article and while I agree that it would be inappropriate for a TSA agent to make such a comment, the article raised a red flag for me. Mom said her daughter was traveling with a group of students. Seriously, what were the OTHER kids wearing? My child would dress like this in public but many kids do and I bet MOST of the kids with her were dressed in exactly the same style. Why were they not addressed? Really, why single out one girl from a group? One girl who is not really dressed beyond the bounds of what is generally worn by today's youth. I'm not saying Mom, or even Teen is deliberately lying, but I wonder if this is just someone looking for their 15 minutes of fame. Hmmmm?

[nmoira]

I've read the posts here and I read the article and while I agree that it would be inappropriate for a TSA agent to make such a comment, the article raised a red flag for me. Mom said her daughter was traveling with a group of students. Seriously, what were the OTHER kids wearing? My child would dress like this in public but many kids do and I bet MOST of the kids with her were dressed in exactly the same style. Why were they not addressed? Really, why single out one girl from a group? One girl who is not really dressed beyond the bounds of what is generally worn by today's youth. I'm not saying Mom, or even Teen is deliberately lying, but I wonder if this is just someone looking for their 15 minutes of fame. Hmmmm?

 

Mark Frauenfelder is not an unknown here. I've been reading his stuff for the better part of 20 years.

[Mrs Mungo]

I've read the posts here and I read the article and while I agree that it would be inappropriate for a TSA agent to make such a comment, the article raised a red flag for me. Mom said her daughter was traveling with a group of students. Seriously, what were the OTHER kids wearing? My child would dress like this in public but many kids do and I bet MOST of the kids with her were dressed in exactly the same style. Why were they not addressed? Really, why single out one girl from a group? One girl who is not really dressed beyond the bounds of what is generally worn by today's youth. I'm not saying Mom, or even Teen is deliberately lying, but I wonder if this is just someone looking for their 15 minutes of fame. Hmmmm?

 

The dad wrote the article, and he is already extremely well known. He is a journalist, author, illustrator, the editor of the boingboing website and the editor in chief of Make magazine.

[Kathryn]

 

Yeah...because he was.

Not his kid. Not his business. Not his job.

 

He was rude and unprofessional. But, to call him creepy? I just don't see it. Creepy would be him silently leering at her or worse. And Talibany? I think women who've actually suffered under the Taliban would disagree. It's just plain inflammatory.

[Corraleno]

Immediately suspecting, with no further information than what is in the article (written by a well-known and well-respected author), that the girl is probably lying, just doing it for attention, etc., is just another aspect of the blame-the-victim mentality that pervades cultural attitudes towards women's appearance and sexuality.

 

If she'd been wearing baggy clothes and was complaining about being groped as a result, would anyone here immediately suspect that she was lying and just doing it for "15 minutes of fame"??? Of course not. Oh, but this girl was wearing "immodest" clothes, so clearly she's not a "nice" girl, she's probably the type who would lie and do anything for attention. :001_rolleyes:

 

Jackie

[ChocolateReignRemix]

 

He was rude and unprofessional. But, to call him creepy? I just don't see it. Creepy would be him silently leering at her or worse. And Talibany? I think women who've actually suffered under the Taliban would disagree. It's just plain inflammatory.

 

 

I find it creepy that a middle aged man thought he had the authority to admonish this girl.

[justamouse]

She needs to cover up and she was wearing THAT???

 

 

Maybe they need to stop disrobing people with freaking x-rays at the airport.

[LucyStoner]

 

 

Or mesh. *shudder*

 

Why must you remind me of such things? ;)

[LucyStoner]

 

 

You haven't gone quite far enough south in this area. They are alive and well just south of me BUT I would not approach any one of those "boys" without fear of being shot. Not that I really think it's any of my business what they are wearing. But here it is definitely gang-banger wear only. In the news recently were two different shootings involving individuals from these gangs - but not because someone told them to pull up their pants.

 

I am in South King County a fair bit. I volunteer with a post prison release program. Until recently I lived in an urban area where a lot of drug dealers. Sagging I see. Extremely low like some people make it out to be? Not anymore. I am sure it happens but it's not what I see commonly.

[Corraleno]

 

He was rude and unprofessional. But, to call him creepy? I just don't see it. Creepy would be him silently leering at her or worse. And Talibany? I think women who've actually suffered under the Taliban would disagree. It's just plain inflammatory.

 

Although the actions of the Taliban are certainly in a different league from this jerk's comment, the underlying assumptions are the same: that middle-aged men have the right to control how girls dress, and that girls and women are responsible for the way men respond to them.

 

A grown man who purposely shames and humiliates a 15 yr old girl because HE thinks she is exposing too much of her body is creepy. It's creepy that he thinks he has any. right. whatsoever. to comment on that, and it's creepy that he is even thinking about her body that way. Many people have posted here that the men and boys in their lives would not consider that outfit immodest or indecent or sexual in any way whatsoever. The fact that this guy did, AND felt like he had the right to humiliate her because of HIS reaction, is totally creepy.

 

Jackie

[DawnM]

This wasn't my thought. I just think we only have one side to this story.

 

Men and women are both subject to lying and/or embellishing the truth.

 

It is equally as wrong to assume the man must be wrong.

 

Immediately suspecting, with no further information than what is in the article (written by a well-known and well-respected author), that the girl is probably lying, just doing it for attention, etc., is just another aspect of the blame-the-victim mentality that pervades cultural attitudes towards women's appearance and sexuality.

 

If she'd been wearing baggy clothes and was complaining about being groped as a result, would anyone here immediately suspect that she was lying and just doing it for "15 minutes of fame"??? Of course not. Oh, but this girl was wearing "immodest" clothes, so clearly she's not a "nice" girl, she's probably the type who would lie and do anything for attention. :001_rolleyes:

 

Jackie

[SKL]

I simply took issue with the journalist's quote suggesting that a developing teen should wear anything she damn well pleases, and if some guy notices her boobs are showing, there's something wrong with the guy. ... If she was traveling with other teens, maybe she was being ogled and that bothered the TSA dude. Maybe she was even flirting. Who knows? I said the TSA dude should have kept quiet. That doesn't mean I agree with girls showing their boobs and expecting nobody to be offended. (Oh, and from what I can see, she hasn't been "shamed." She seems rather proud of herself.)

[Corraleno]

This wasn't my thought. I just think we only have one side to this story.

 

Men and women are both subject to lying and/or embellishing the truth.

 

It is equally as wrong to assume the man must be wrong.

 

 

What would this girl have to gain by lying to her dad about what happened and telling him that she was really shaken up by it? :confused1:

 

Anyway, I was mostly responding to this post:

I've read the posts here and I read the article and while I agree that it would be inappropriate for a TSA agent to make such a comment, the article raised a red flag for me. Mom said her daughter was traveling with a group of students. Seriously, what were the OTHER kids wearing? My child would dress like this in public but many kids do and I bet MOST of the kids with her were dressed in exactly the same style. Why were they not addressed? Really, why single out one girl from a group? One girl who is not really dressed beyond the bounds of what is generally worn by today's youth. I'm not saying Mom, or even Teen is deliberately lying, but I wonder if this is just someone looking for their 15 minutes of fame. Hmmmm?

 

 

The "group" of kids may have been quite small, there's no suggestion that it was only girls, and the ID screening area normally has multiple TSA agents. It's quite possible that there were only a few other girls in the group, none were dressed exactly like her, and/or she was the only one who got stuck in the line with this particular jerk.

 

ETA: apparently, two of the girl's friends corroborate her story

 

There's not one. single. element. in that article that would suggest she's not telling the truth. If she'd been humiliated or groped for wearing baggy clothes, how many people here would be saying "oh, we haven't heard the TSA's side of the story, she could just be making the whole thing up for attention"?

 

Yeah, none.

 

Jackie

[albeto]

She seems rather proud of herself.

 

 

How do you figure?

[Cricket]

Some of this is getting silly. A grouchy older guy told a teen girl to cover herself. That's hardly humiliation and verbal abuse. He made a comment. He didn't hold her up for public ridicule. Her dad did a fine job of that by writing a national article about it. Now the entire country can argue over whether or not what she was wearing was showing too much of her boobs. Yeah, the TSA guy shouldn't have said it but, good grief, "Taliban-y?" Really? Now this TSA guy is an extremist and wants to control women and the decisions women make about their health and bodies? The guy made an inappropriate comment to one person. Let's not extrapolate that into an entire political agenda of theocracy. I agree with a pp who said that is quite insulting to the women who actually lived under the Taliban.

[Corraleno]

I simply took issue with the journalist's quote suggesting that a developing teen should wear anything she damn well pleases, and if some guy notices her boobs are showing, there's something wrong with the guy. ... If she was traveling with other teens, maybe she was being ogled and that bothered the TSA dude. Maybe she was even flirting. Who knows? I said the TSA dude should have kept quiet. That doesn't mean I agree with girls showing their boobs and expecting nobody to be offended.

 

Thank you for totally proving my point that some people will always try to find a way to blame the victim. :001_rolleyes:

 

You know what, it doesn't matter if you, or a TSA agent, or anyone else is "offended" by camisoles — it is none. of. your. freaking. business. how anyone else dresses. NONE.

 

(Oh, and from what I can see, she hasn't been "shamed." She seems rather proud of herself.)

 

 

In fact, the father said that she was quite shaken up by the whole thing. The idea that she's "proud of herself" is something you have entirely invented, apparently out of some weird need to blame this girl for the fact that she was inappropriately harassed by a TSA agent. It's bad enough when men make excuses like that; I find it even sadder when women do it to other women.

 

Jackie

[Mrs Mungo]

There is no real he said/she said here. There are two choices.

 

1. She made it up.

 

2. He said something to her about her clothing and is therefore in the wrong.

[WishboneDawn]

Some of this is getting silly. A grouchy older guy told a teen girl to cover herself. That's hardly humiliation and verbal abuse. He made a comment. He didn't hold her up for public ridicule. Her dad did a fine job of that by writing a national article about it. Now the entire country can argue over whether or not what she was wearing was showing too much of her boobs. Yeah, the TSA guy shouldn't have said it but, good grief, "Taliban-y?" Really? Now this TSA guy is an extremist and wants to control women and the decisions women make about their health and bodies? The guy made an inappropriate comment to one person. Let's not extrapolate that into an entire political agenda of theocracy. I agree with a pp who said that is quite insulting to the women who actually lived under the Taliban.

 

Yay! Good post. It getting silly on both sides though. The girl is pleased with herself? Maybe made it up? Sheesh.

[Rivka]

I live in a neighborhood where the majority of people are Orthodox Jews. I violate their modesty standards every day. I'm violating them right now in my khaki slacks, open-toed sandals, and loose V-neck shirt that shows my collarbones but no cleavage. Some days I wear knee-length shorts. And my hair is uncovered, even though I'm married!

 

All of those things are factors that my neighbors believe are inappropriate displays of female sexuality, and might provoke sexual reactions from men. Under their beliefs, uncovered hair and elbows are Just Never Done by a respectable woman.

 

How much influence should that have on my style of dress? What are they entitled to say or do to me and my daughter? Nothing. Not one damn thing.