A controversial cartoon posted in the library of Desert Ridge High School moved several seniors to take action to get it removed.
The poster is an attempt to be more relatable to students using a bit of humor to send a message about the importance of the school dress code which includes rules about the length of shorts of skirts, the width of shirt straps and no midriffs or revealing tops.
With captions like ‘You come to school looking cute’ and ‘What the boys see is meat,’ the gist of the cartoon is that when girls dress too revealing, boys can't focus, flunk out and girls end up supporting unsuccessful men as adults.
Senior Alissa Adams took offense to the cartoon right away.
"We have girls with self-image issues and this sign definitely did not help. Guys thinking only that they are thought of as animals and that they are not seen higher than that when we have some of the top students in the state," said Adams.
She says she wrote the message underneath the cartoons that read ‘It's the girl's fault right? #feminism’ and was brushed off by the librarian when she asked the poster be taken down.
“She actually folded over the section I wrote and stapled it down," said Adams.
She says by the end of the day, most of her class was outraged and another student went to administrators to express their distaste.
“I think they were trying to be funny but they just went about it all wrong,” Adams said.
A spokesperson for Desert Ridge says the sign was taken down as soon as administrators were alerted to the concern. They said it was poor judgment to hang it and the principal has spoken to the librarian though no one knows who actually made the poster.
The school says it is not reflective of the spirit and community of Desert Ridge High School and that has been conveyed to the student council as well.
Adams says while the sign was upsetting, she’s very encouraged by the swift action of administrators.
