Parents have taken aim at their children’s school after the learning facility introduced a “ridiculous” ban on makeup.
Pupils at Haygrove School in Bridgwater, Somerset, have been inspected, separated from their peers and punished for wearing mascara, false eyelashes, and false nails.
In a seemingly sudden ban, staff said the measures were enacted to protect pupils’ mental health.
They added that the rules were actually an existing ban and they were merely enforcing them, rather than it being a new policy.
However, parents have criticised the school after finding out their children had been punished for simply “trying to make themselves feel more positive”.
One mother, Jordan, whose 15-year-old daughter was told off for wearing mascara, told the BBC: “I just think it’s ridiculous.
“I get it, too much make-up isn’t great but a bit of mascara to make her feel a little bit more positive about going to school, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.”
In a letter to parents, Haygrove School said it was “committed to creating an environment where every child feels valued for who they are, not for how they look”.
Parents hit back at the makeup ban introduced by Haygrove School in Bridgwater, Somerset
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They continued by referencing research showing “appearance-based concerns can emerge early and, if unaddressed, may lead to anxiety, poor mental health, and disengagement from learning”.
Teachers quoted experts as warning that early exposure to beauty products can “reinforce unrealistic beauty standards, which may contribute to body image issues and even anxiety or depression later in life”.
However, mothers were not convinced by the decision to enforce the ban.
Siobhan, who also had a daughter reprimanded for wearing make-up, said her child wears beauty products to stop her being bullied.
One parent said the makeup ban was ‘ridiculous’
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She continued to add that her daughter had been wearing the same makeup for two years without the school batting an eye.
“She needs to feel confident that she looks OK and that there aren’t going to be pictures of her sent around with a big red face or with spots, because they all get bullied for having skin issues or having uneven eyebrows or whatever,” Siobhan said.
She continued: “Let’s educate our boys not to bully or pick on girls.
“The school could run classes for all students and explain about why girls might want to use make-up, why it might make them feel more self-confident and why there’s an issue in the first place.”
Following the announcement of the ban, Siobhan spoke to her daughter’s head of year and the school’s headmaster.
Despite supporting the teachers, she said the ban was “deeply personal” and was “criticising students for the way they look”.
She added: “This is not something they should feel ashamed of and they are feeling ashamed.
“For some children, the school was their safe place and some of them are now scared to go home because they’re going to get told off by their parents.”
Following the criticism from parents, the school said it was “gathering student and parent feedback and will consider all feedback carefully before determining the next steps”.