First, I pit the girl in this story. Schools give guidelines for senior pictures, the main one being that they have to follow dress code. Posing like a hooker is definitely against code.
Second, I pit the parents, for supporting their daughter’s inappropriate picture. Since the girl is technically an adult, I suppose they could’ve been absent from the photo shoot. But to further the complain process, after the school has said that she can buy a private page and have the picture posted there, is just bringing the whining to a new level.
Thirdly, I pit the Yahoo headline “Colorado Student Banned from Yearbook Over Racy Photo”. The girl isn’t banned; she can submit a new photo. The picture isn’t banned; it can be placed on a private page. The headline should’ve been “Colorado Parents Complain That Daughter’s Free Stripper Ad Banned From Main Portion Of Yearbook”.
Nothing to add here but agreement. Wife was watching this story on the local news when I walked into the bedroom after my shower this morning. I only caught the picture blasted across the screen without hearing the content or context in the actual story. My first thought was they found a dead hooker on Colfax.
I am no prude and think teenagers should start boinking each other whenevr they’re smart enough to buy condoms, but come on. That’s a stripper photo all the way, and there’s no reason for it to pollute a high school yearbook.
I agree that she’s an idiot for thinking that picture is appropriate and the school is saving her the mortification of looking back at her yearbook when she is older and saying, “Good Lord, why didn’t anyone stop me from doing that??”
My parents had absolutely zero influence over the pictures I chose for my senior page (and zero interest as well) and I was only 16 at the time so I don’t see the big deal of them not stopping this before it started. I completely agree, however, that they are being assholes for furthering the complaint process.
I think the thing that surprised me most in the article, though, was this quote:
That little part of me from high school is squealing in glee. The Yearbook kids are often the geeky ones who are playing with InDesign or Quark after school instead of being on the football team. It’s kinda like a tiny way to give a fuck-you to a popular girl. No, the article doesn’t say she’s popular, but blondes wearing that type of outfit? Uh huh.
I just assumed that the parents are hoping to whore the kid out through some E! reality show, or singing ‘career’ and hope this publicity helps. I can’t believe this is getting national news attention. It is all over the yahoo news page and it has actually made TV news?
Early reports said that the student yearbook staff had approved Spies’ first picture but were overruled by the school administration.
The administration says there is a dress code which says pictures must “fully cover the chest, back, abdomen and sides of the student”. Here is Spies first picture, which does expose her sides. So she submitted a second picture which technically falls within the dress code.
I am far more annoyed with the media than anyone else involved. Why is this even news? What thought process led journalists and editors to hear about a high school senior’s yearbook photo and conclude “The world must know!”? What’s next? An expose’ of a Wisconsin High School cafeteria’s decision to discontinue “tater tot Tuesdays”?
To me, nothing says sexy like an 18-year-old girl who’s backed into the corner of a brick building and has adopted an obviously uncomfortable pose with her left arm while making a shadow puppet with her right hand. Hot stuff!
As the father of two girls whom we are trying our best to raise to be strong, proud, smart women, I find it disturbing that not only do her parents have no problem with her looking like (as my grandpa used to put it) “a worldly woman”, but they are actively defending her right to expose herself as such to the entire world.
I seriously wonder what kind of values they’ve instilled in her. I mean, she could be putting this energy into doing volunteer work, or excelling in school (because, somehow I doubt she’s gonna be valedictorian), but instead, it’s this: the shallow banality of instant fame.
Within 2 years she’ll have parlayed this into a reality show appearance, or at the very least an FHM or Stuff photoshoot. And her parents will likely be proud of her success. I feel sick.
Yes. Really. Our high school yearbook won a bunch of awards during the two years I worked on it. Photography, layout and design, writing, overall concept, etc.
What I am finding odd is that students are allowed to choose their own photos to submit these days? Didn’t work that way back when I was in school. Your photo was taken by the designated school photographer, and while you could pick amongst the several shots he took, that was the extent of your choice. If you didn’t like that idea, then your photo didn’t go in at all.
I wonder if she’ll burn that yearbook before her kids get old enough to find it and discover Mom looked (and posed) like a ho?
