A 9-Year-Old Girl Was Body-Shamed at School

“Does my niece’s round belly offend you?” asks proud uncle Robbie Nettles in a post published to his Facebook page last week. The Missouri native goes on to explain that his niece was given an in-school suspension for wearing a formfitting top — and the girl is only 9.

According to Nettles’s post, which has gone viral, his niece’s second outfit was not approved by school officials, either. Nettles published photos of the girl wearing both outfits so readers could see for themselves that her clothing was not revealing. In one photo, the girl is wearing a V-neck Minnie Mouse T-shirt with the word “LOVE” emblazoned across it, and in the second she’s wearing another tee with an even higher V-neck.

Nettles attributes the discrimination to the girl’s weight and the fact that her clothing clings to her body. “My niece may not be the ideal weight, but she was not showing anything inappropriate. It sickens me to imagine my sweet niece going to a school that cares more about her weight than what’s in her mind,” he wrote. He added that a second student “with the same body type” was also called out for what was deemed an inappropriate outfit, suggesting size discrimination that goes beyond just his niece.

The post hit a nerve in the Facebook community. Hundreds of users came forward to express their outrage. “Seems as if the administration are the only ones viewing children inappropriately,” wrote one person of the school’s odd reaction in sexualizing a girl so young. “I think the school needs a re-check due to ignorance and belittling these babies about how they look,” wrote another supportive commenter.

Another Facebooker admitted she’s going through something similar with her daughter, who is only 4 years old. “Obviously there are different body types, and, obviously, they are genetic,” the mom said, referencing a weight bias. “No one can change what they are predestined to have. And punishing a child for that is f*****g ridiculous.”

Nettles revealed in the comments that his niece is “so upset” about the situation, which she probably can’t fully grasp at her age. “Apparently, it is acceptable to body-shame a 9-year-old,” Nettles concluded. “We are really trying to encourage her.”

In the post, Nettles suggests that if the school is so concerned with nitpicking students’ attire, officials should implement a school uniform. “Dress codes are open for interpretation and abuse,” Nettles wrote. “This abuse was demonstrated by the faculty at Brookhaven Elementary School.”

Fellow Facebook users encouraged one another to keep sharing the post so it could go viral — and it looks like they got their wish. As of this story’s publication, the post had more than 46,000 shares.

You can read the full post below.

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