Back in high school, you likely had a pretty strict dress code. For us, shorts had to be knee-length, and spaghetti straps were forbidden unless they were hiding under a cardigan. The excuse they gave was that showing off shoulders wasn’t appropriate for a school atmosphere. Even though most high schoolers were more interested in staying comfortable in the heat than trying to attract others with their shoulders, the rules stuck. But these days, dress codes are worse than ever — and according to one high school principal, girls are to blame. Wait, what?!
An assistant principal named Jared Hensley, who works at Soddy-Daisy High School in Tennessee, was busy creating a school announcement as to why athletic shorts were no longer on the list of permitted school attire. In his eyes, if you were looking to blame someone, you should blame the women.
“Blame the girls, because they pretty much ruin everything,” he said on camera. “They ruin the dress code, they ruin— well, ask Adam. Look at Eve — you can really go back to the beginning of time.”
He went on to tell the boys that it’ll be “like that” the rest of their lives, and it’s something they just need to get used to. Even if he was trying to play it off as a joke, it’s not a funny one.
While the original video was removed, someone managed to grab the footage in time.
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After the video went viral, it became clear based on student accounts that he’s said plenty of horrible things off camera, as well.
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Students and residents are standing up for action to be taken, with many pinpointing that no matter what, Hensley was expected to act like a professional adult who cares for all of his students.
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Others stood up for him, saying that the sexist comment was just meant to be a light joke.
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No matter what, Hensley, who was reportedly placed on administrative leave after the comment was spoken, should have realized that a statement like that could make many students at the school feel alienated. As an educator and principal, he needs to make sure his school is a safe place from sexist actions.